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PRINCETON,     N.    J. 

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Men  and  the  Modern 
Missionary  Enterprise 


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en  and  the  Modern 
Missionary  Enterprise 


HISTORY,   CALL,   ADDRESSES,   DELIVERANCES,    CON- 
FERENCES AND  DELIBERATIONS  OF  THE  FIRST 
INTER-SYNODICAL    FOREIGN    MISSION- 
ARY CONVENTION  FOR  MEN,  HELD 
AT  OMAHA,  NEBRASKA,  FEB- 
RUARY   19-21,    1907 

I  err 


E.^A.V/herrUl  ,    ^p.  i2-b-\2^  ^   ?.-,\-23^. 


LITERARY  EDITOR 

CHARLES   EDV^IN    BRADT,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 


THE   V^INONA   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 
CHICAGO  ILLINOIS 


COPYRIGHT,   1907 
THE  WINONA  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


PRESS  OF 

MARSH,  AITKEN   &   CURTIS  COMPANY 

CHICAGO 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER. 

I. 

II. 

III. 


IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 
IX. 
X. 
XI. 

XII. 


PAGE 

Introduction.  Charles  Edwin  Bradt,  D.D 7 

PRE-CONVENTION  PROCEEDINGS 

Origin  and  Organization 13 

The  Convention  Call 18 

Pre-Convention  Conference  with  Secretaries 22 

I.  The  Plan  for  an  Echo  Campaign  Following  the  Convention 

Charles  Edwin  Bradt,  D.D 22 

II.  The  Forward  Movement,  Mr.  David  McConaughy 23 

OPPORTUNITY 

A  Fraternal  Greeting,  The  Unique  Importance  of  the  Conven- 
tion, Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D  D 27 

A  Response,  The  Present  Importance  of  the  Convention,  Ira 
Landrith,  D.D.,  LL.D 31 

Foreign  Missions  a  World  Force,  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D 35 

OBLIGATION 

The  Scripture  Basis  of  Missions — A  Bible  Reading,  Rev.  Perry 

V.  Jenness     43 

Visions  of  the  Foreign  Field--China,  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D.  .  .  46 

Visions  of  the  Foreign  Field — Korea,  S.  A.  Moffett,  D.D 50 

Visions  of  the  Foreign  Field — Persia,  Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan  ....  57 
The  Distinct  Foreign  Mission  Responsibility  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer 62 

Waiting  Before  God  in  Prayer — "Lord  what  wilt  thou  have 

me  to  do?" 74 


XIII. 
XIV. 


XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 


MOTIVE 

Christ's  Appeal  to  Men  for  the  World,  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer.  .     79 
The  Need  of  Systematic  Missionary  Education,  Prof.  T.  H.  P. 
Sailer,  Ph.D 86 

MISSIONARY  CONFERENCES 

The  Mission  Study  Class,  Prof.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Ph.D 93 

Conference  on  Africa,  Rev.  J.  S.  Cunningham 101 

Africa's  Open  Door,  H.  L.  Weber,  M.D 104 

Conference  on  China,  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D 108 

The  Open  Door  in  China,  and  Missionary  Achievement,  Rev. 

J.  Ashley  Fitch 113 

Chinese  and     Japanese  in  the  United  States,  J.  H.  Laughlin, 

D.D 119 

5 


Jr 


6  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XXI.  India's  Immediate  Needs,  E.  M.  Wherry,  D.D 123 

XXII.  Japan's  Need,  Rev.  James  B.  Ayres 128 

XXIII.  An  Educated  Ministry  in  Korea,  S.  A.  Moffett,  D.D 137 

XXIV  Conference  on  Persia,  Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan 142 

XXV.  Conference  on  the  Philippines,  J.  Andrew  Hall,  M.D 145 

XXVI.  Latin    America's  Claim  upon  her  Anglo-Saxon  Sister,  Rev. 

George  C.  Lenington   150 

MIGHT 

XXVII.  The  Might  of  isram  ana  the  Power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 

Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan   159 

XXVIII.  The  Greatest  Opportunity  in  the  World,   Mr.   J.   Campbell 

White : 168 

XXIX.  Men  of  Might  in  Foreign  Missions,   Robert  F.  Coyle,  D.D.,     . 

LL.D 177 

METHODS 

XXX.  Literature,  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D 191 

XXXI.  The  Pulpit — How  to  interest  Men  in  Foreign  Missions,  Edgar 

P.  Hill,  D.D 193 

XXXII.  How  to  Finance  the  Field,  Charles  Edwin  Bradt,  D.D 201 

XXXIII.  Our  Parish  Abroad  and  our  Policy  for  Evangelizing  it,  Mr. 

David  McConaughy 206 

XXXIV.  Missionary  Methods  for  Men  in  the  Local  Church,  William  S. 

Marquis,  D.D 212 

THE  MISSIONARY  CONGRESS 

XXXV.  The  Holy  Spirit  and  Foreign  Missions,  Charles  Herron,  D.D. .   221 

XXXVI.  Recommendations  Adopted   228 

XXXVII.  In  The  Mission  Congress 231 

EMERGENCY 

XXXVIII.  Nothing  Narrow  About  It,  Mr.  Nolan  Rice  Best  247 

XXXIX.  The  Syrian  Situation,  F.  E.  Hoskins,  D.D 248 

XL.  Introduction  of  Dr.  Hunter  Corbett,  Mr.  Nolan  Rice  Best.  ..  .  253 

XLI.  A  Farewell  Message,  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D.,  LL.D 254 

CONCLUSION 

XLII.  Convention  Program    259 

XLIII.          The  Convention  Program  Reported,  Arthur  F.  Bishop,  D.D.  .  262 
INDEX 265 


INTRODUCTION 


BY  CHARLES  EDWIN  BRADT 


Brotherhood  is  cither  an  empty  word  or  it  is  potentially  universal 
in  its  relationships.  Restrict  it  to  one  denomination,  or  to  one  nation, 
or  to  relations  of  marriage,  or  birth,  or  race,  or  time  even,  and  so 
much  is  canceled  by  the  restriction  that  it  loses  its  real,  worth  while, 
divinely  human  essence,  and  becomes  brutish,  or  at  best,  only  humanly 
animal.  "Who  are  my  brethren?"  asked  Christ.  His  answer  was, 
"Whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother."  And 
God's  will  is,  "That  we  should  believe  in  the  name  of  His  Son,  Jesus 
Christ,  and  love  one  another,  even  as  He  gave  us  commandment." 
Thus  we  see  that  Brotherhood  is  potentially  universal  for  the  race  and 
for  all  time.  For  "He  that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  forever." 
Thus  we  see,  also,  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  great  Brotherhood. 
But  how  is  this  Brotherhood  to  be  established?  Manifestly  only  in 
one  way,  viz :  By  getting  all  men  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  and  hence 
to  love  one  another.  But  how  are  men  to  come  to  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  hence  to  love  one  another?  Only  by  those  who  know 
and  believe  in  Him,  preaching  and  teaching  His  gospel  to  those  who 
know  and  believe  it  not. 

Hence  if  the  so-called  "Men's  Movement"  is  to  come  to  its  own 
in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  it  must  be  practically  and  aggressively 
missionary.  There  is  no  use  trying  to  conceal  this  point.  The  men 
of  our  churches  are  not  afraid  to  face  the  real  business  of  the  church 
and  measure  themselves  upon  their  obligations.  There  are  some 
who  say,  "Let  us  come  at  this  missionary  phase  of  the  work,  especially 
at  the  Foreign  Missionary  aspect  of  it,  in  an  indirect,  and  round 
about  way,  and  catch  men  by  guile,  as  it  were;  men  do  not  take  to 
missions  readily."  I  do  not  agree  with  them.  We  have  been  using 
such  tactics  to  our  shame  and  loss;  the  result  is  we  have  thereby  dis- 
gusted large  numbers  of  men  outside  as  well  as  inside  of  the  church, 
and  injured  ourselves.  While  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  example, 
should  furnish  five  per  cent  of  the  workers  in  outside  undenomi- 
national mission  enterprises,  it  actually  furnishes  sixteen  per  cent. 
That  looks  very  much  as  if  men  were  leaving  the  church  itself  to  find 
outside  of  the  church  the  work  for  Christ  which  our  church  does  not 
furnish  them  inside.  It  should  furnish  it  to  them.  Because  it  has 
not  conspicuously  done  so,  men  outside  of  the  church  are  asking  the 
question  which  was  seriously  discussed  recently  in  one  of  the  great 
Chicago  dailies,  "Is  the  church  a  worthless  institution?"  The  writer 
of  that  article  declared  that  it  was  in  a  marked  measure,  a  worthless 
institution,  because  it  largely  withheld  itself  from  the  practical  humani- 

7 


8  INTRODUCTION 

ties  and  philanthropies  of  life,  and  restricted  its  activities  to  church 
"services,"  professional  performances  on  Sundays,  singing,  preaching 
and  praying,  with  too  little  practicing  of  the  precepts  of  Christ  on 
Mondays  and  the  other  days  of  the  v^eek.  It  is,  however,  a  great 
mistake  to  discount  the  value  of  the  Sabbath  "services"  in  God's 
house,  or  to  treat  lightly  the  leavening  influence  of  any  Christian 
church  in  a  community  or  city,  even  though  its  practice  is  far  below 
its  precepts.  The  truth  is,  too,  that  the  practical  humanities  and 
philanthropies  of  the  church  are  very  large  in  this  country,  where  we 
have  200,000  churches  and  more  than  20,000,000  church  members, 
with  one  ordained  minister  for  each  500  people,  and  one  Christian 
worker  for  each  50  people.  Not  all  of  the  people  of  this  country  are 
Christians,  but  all  have  heard  the  gospel,  and  many  are  waiting  now 
to  see  how  much  those  who  have  preached  it  to  them  believe  it  them- 
selves. If  they  believe  it  to  the  point  where  they  are  willing  to  deny 
themselves  and  go  with  Christ  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  to 
preach  it  to  others,  then  they  will  believe  it  too.  This  will  compel 
them. 

Manifestly,  then,  what  is  the  business  of  the  church?  To  sit  and 
sing: 

"Tell  me  the  old,  old  story"? 

Not  at  all,  but 

"To  tell  the  old,  old  story 
For  some  have  never  heard 
The  message  of  salvation 
From  God's  own  holy  word." 

This  "some"  means  two-thirds  of  the  human  race,  and  constitutes 
the  practical  missionary  problem  and  business  of  the  church.  Let 
no  one  imagine  that  the  men  of  the  church  are  afraid  or  unwilling  to 
face  that  problem  and  undertake  to  discharge  their  obligations  thereto. 
My  experience  and  observation  both  afifirm  that  men  readily  and 
generously  respond  to  this  work  when  it  is  definitely  and  intelligently 
set  before  them.  I  am  equally  certain  that  unless  the  church  does 
adequately  and  ardently  engage  in  this,  its  own  distinctive  and  legiti- 
mate work  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  unevangelized  heathen 
world,  constituting  almost  two-thirds  of  the  human  race,  the  great 
majority  of  whom  have  never  heard  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  intelli- 
gently, all  "movements"  which  it  may  organize  will  be  little  more 
than  dress  parade  performances  disappointing  to  the  church  and 
disgusting  to  the  world. 

Because  of  these  things,  an  Inter- Synodical  Foreign  Missionary 
Convention  for  Men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  called  to  meet 
in  Omaha,  Nebr.,  February  19-21,  1907,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Central  District,  not  confined,  however,  to  representatives  from  the 
fifteen  Synods  of  that  District,  but  providing  for  representatives  from 
every  Synod  and  every  Foreign  Mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to 
the  number  at  least  of  1,600  delegates.    The  purpose  was  clearly 


INTRODUCTION  9 

Stated,  viz:  To  consider  the  missionary  responsibility  of  the  men 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  the  unevangelized  heathen  world.  No 
such  call  had  ever  before  been  issued.  The  convention  was  abso- 
lutely unique  in  the  history  of  the  church.  But  the  occasion  was 
unique.  No  such  call  as  the  Brotherhood  Convention  at  Indianapolis 
was  ever  before  issued  by  the  church.  No  such  movement  as  the 
men  of  the  churches  are  now  organizing  was  ever  before  launched. 
No  such  times  and  opportunities  as  we  are  now  facing  were  ever 
before  faced  by  any  church.  The  time  is  ripe  for  the  organization  of 
men,  for  the  time  is  ripe  for  the  organization  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  earth.  The  men  are  being  called  to  the  Kingdom  for  such  a  time 
as  this.  This  is  no  time  for  dress  parade  performances.  This  is  no 
time  for  simply  saying  "Lord,  Lord !"  But  this  is  the  time  to  do  the 
will  of  the  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  They  that  do  His  will  shall 
enter  the  Kingdom. 

"And  I  remember  still 
The  words,  and  from  whence  they  came, 
Not  he  that  repeateth  the  name 
But  he  that  doeth  the  will. 
And  him  evermore  I  behold 
Walking  in  Galilee, 
Through  the  cornfield's  waving  gold 
By  the  shores  of  the  Beautiful  Sea. 

"And  that  voice  still  soundeth  on 
From  the  centuries  that  are  gone 
To  the  centuries  that  shall  be. 
From  all  vain  pomps  and  shows, 
From  the  pride  that  overflows. 

"Poor  sad  humanity 
Through  all  the  dust  and  heat 
Turns  back  with  bleeding  feet 
By  the  weary  round  it  came, 
Unto  the  simple  thought, 
By  the  great  Master  taught. 
And  that  remaineth  still, 
Not  he  that  repeateth  the  name 
But  he  that  doeth  the  will." 


Pre-Convention    Proceedings 


ORIGIN  AND  ORGANIZATION 

On  May  29,  1906,  the  Foreign  Missionary  Committee  of  Indian- 
apolis Presbytery  met  with  certain  Presbyterian  pastors  of  Indianapolis 
in  the  office  of  Mr.  Robert  A.  Brown  in  the  State  House,  to  consider 
the  matter  of  holding  an  Indiana  Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Con- 
vention for  men.     The  records  of  this  meeting  read  as  follows: 

"The  committee  appointed  by  the  Indianapolis  Presbytery  to  take 
such  steps  as  in  their  judgment  might  be  wise  and  expedient  toward 
arranging  for  a  Missionary  Convention,  to  be  held  in  the  city  of 
Indianapolis,  met  at  the  office  of  R.  A.  Brown,  Clerk  of  Supreme 
Court,  on  Tuesday,  May  29,  1906.  All  the  members  were  present, 
the  same  being  Dr.  Frank  O.  Ballard,  Dr.  H.  J.  Malcolm,  Rev.  Neil 
MacPherson,  Elder  D.  W.  Cofhn  and  R.  A.  Brown.  Rev.  Charles 
Edwin  Bradt,  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  with  office  at  40  East  Randolph  Street, 
Chicago,  was  present  by  invitation.  The  committee  was  organized 
by  the  election  of  Dr.  F.  O.  Ballard  as  Chairman,  and  R.  A.  Brown, 
as  Secretary. 

After  full  discussion  as  to  the  prospect  for  such  convention  and 
the  general  plans  under  which  such  convention  might  successfully  be 
held,  the  following  motions  were  adopted  as  expressive  of  the  senti- 
ment of  the  committee : — 

1.  That  a  Missionary  Convention  for  men  be  held  in  the  city  of 
Indianapolis  at  some  time  during  the  month  of  February,  the  exact 
date  to  be  determined  later. 

2.  That  a  Local  Committee  be  appointed. 

3.  That  a  General  Committee  for  the  State  of  Indiana  be  appointed. 

4.  That  a  letter  outlining  the  objects  and  purposes  of  the  General 
Committees  above  named  be  framed." 

The  date  afterward  set  for  the  Convention  being  Feb.  19-21,  1907, 
immediate  steps  were  taken  for  its  organization,  and  the  construction 
of  a  strong  program  of  speakers.  Several  important  persons,  whose 
services  must  be  early  secured  were  booked  and  much  preliminary 
work  done.  It  soon  transpired  however,  that  the  General  Assembly 
Brotherhood  Committee  desired  most  ardently  to  make  Indianapolis 
the  meeting  place  of  that  Convention,  which  was  to  be  held  in  Novem- 
ber, 1906.  The  wisdom  of  holding  two  great  gatherings  for  men  in 
one  year  in  the  same  city  was  questioned  by  all,  and  the  Foreign 
Missionary  Convention  for  Men  as  projected  for  Indianapolis  and 

13 


14  MEN   AND    THE    MODERN    MISSIONARY    ENTERPRISE 

Indiana  exclusively,  was  abandoned  in  the  interest  of  the  General 
Assembly's  Brotherhood  Convention. 

But  the  Lord  had  his  plans  and  was  only  preparing  the  way  for 
something  larger  and  more  consistent  with  the  needs  of  the  times  and 
the  world's  speedy  evangelization.  The  seed  so^vn  had  the  germ  of 
life  in  it,  and  though  it  was  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  it  sprang  up 
and  grew  to  a  tree  whose  branches  reached  to  cover  the  whole  earth, 
and  the  birds  of  the  air  came  and  lodged  in  the  branches  thereof. 

The  idea  of  an  Indiana  Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Convention 
for  Men,  expanded  into  the  plan  of  an  Inter-Synodical  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Convention  for  Men,  to  be  held  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  the 
same  date  as  the  one  previously  proposed.  This  matter  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  Foreign  Missionary  Chairmen  of  the  fifteen  Central 
Synods,  under  whose  auspices  such  convention  was  proposed  to  be 
held,  and  also  to  the  brethren  of  the  city  and  Presbytery  of  Omaha. 
All  heartily  endorsed  the  proposition.  It  was  then  submitted  to  the 
Council  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  and  to  each  of  the  fifteen  Central  Synods  at  the  time  of 
their  regular  meetings.  Each  and  all  of  these  bodies  likewise  heartily 
endorsed  and  commended  the  project. 

The  matter  was  again  submitted  to  the  brethren  of  Omaha  for 
their  final  consideration  and  acceptance  as  a  proposition,  October  15, 
1906.  This  meeting  was  held  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  Mon- 
day morning  at  10  o'clock,  it  being  the  regular  time  of  the  Presby- 
terian Ministers'  Association  meeting.  Special,  announcements  for 
this  meeting  had  been  sent  out  to  all  the  brethren  stating  that  this 
matter  would  be  considered.  A  large  presence  of  about  twenty 
ministers  and  elders  attended.  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D., 
pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  presided.  The  proposition 
in  its  most  rugged  and  exacting  form  was  placed  before  the  brethren. 

Attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  the  Convention  was  designated 
to  be  a  Foreign  Missionary  Convention,  where  Foreign  missions  were 
to  be  the  distinctive  theme,  and  the  obligations  of  the  church  to  do 
foreign  missionary  work  were  to  be  definitely  considered.  Would 
the  men  of  the  church  rally  to  the  call? 

Again  it  was  noted  that  the  convention  was  to  be  for  men, — not  a 
mixed  convention  of  young  people  and  women  and  preachers  and  a 
few  laymen  scattered  here  and  there,  but  a  convention  of  men, — 
ministers  and  la}Tnen, — called  together  to  deliberate  upon  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  MEN  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  the  evangelization 
of  the  heathen  world.     Would  the  men  stand  for  it? 

Again  it  was  noted  that  the  proposition  was  for  a  convention  that 
would  be  self-sustaining  and  self-entertaining.  Would  the  men  of 
the  synods  and  churches,  far  and  near,  be  willing  to  pay  the  price, — 
their  railroad  expenses,  hotel  bills,  one  dollar  admission  ticket,  and 
the  necessary  time  required  to  attend  a  convention  to  consider  the 
unselfish  proposition  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathen? 


ORIGIN    AND  ORGANIZATION  15 

Again  the  convention  would  cost  money,  and  time  and  energy 
and  perhaps  life  to  carry  it  through.  The  ministers  and  churches  of 
Omaha  would  have  to  give  no  small  effort,  and  bear  no  small  burden 
to  entertain  the  convention  and  prepare  for  its  coming.  The  responsi- 
bility of  the  Central  District  Committee  would  be  hea\y.  A  strong 
program  of  speakers  must  be  secured,  the  churches  must  be  aroused, 
the  convention  advertised,  committees  organized  and  inspirited — all 
this  and  more  would  call  for  watching  and  praying  and  working  night 
and  day  for  several  months.  Would  it  be  worth  while?  It  was  also 
stated  that  the  matter  had  not  gone  too  far  to  be  recalled  by  them, 
and  such  a  course  was  urged,  if  in  the  minds  of  the  brethren  there 
was  any  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  movement,  or  any  lack  of 
willingness  to  proceed  with  it. 

Each  person  present  was  called  upon  to  express  his  opinion.  All 
spoke  of  the  difficulties  and  daring  of  such  an  enterprise,  but  all 
spoke  in  favor  of  shouldering  the  burdens  and  responsibilities  so  far 
as  they  rested  upon  the  Omaha  churches  and  pastors,  and  advised 
going  ahead  with  the  convention  as  a  most  important  and  timely 
project,  in  behalf  of  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Dr.  Jenks  then  requested  all  present  to  kneel  and  each  one  to  offer 
a  prayer  for  wisdom  and  consecration  necessary  to  the  performance 
of  such  a  great  undertaking.  This  matter  of  prayer  and  dependence 
upon  God  was  emphasized  as  of  absolute  and  indispensable  im- 
portance. 

Everyone  present  prayed,  and  the  Association  then  rose  to  action. 
It  was  voted  at  this  meeting  to  request  300  sittings  in  the  convention 
for  Omaha  City  and  Presbytery,  and  that  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks, 
D.D.,  should  be  the  Omaha  representative  on  the  Central  Executive 
Committee.  Rev.  T.  K.  Hunter,  D.D.,  had  previously  been  made 
the  chairman  of  the  Omaha  Local  Committee,  and  Rev.  N.  H.  Bur- 
dick,  chairman  of  the  Publicity  Committee.  Mr.  Robert  Demp- 
ster was  made  Treasurer  and  Rev.  Jesse  C.  Wilson  was  made 
Secretary. 

After  the  decision  of  the  Omaha  Presbyterian  Ministers'  Associa- 
tion, in  the  light  of  many  other  Providential  indications  of  a  favorable 
character,  and  after  much  prayer  and  waiting  upon  God  on  the  part 
of  the  Central  District  Executive  Committee,  it  was  finally  publicly 
announced  in  humble  reliance  upon  the  Head  of  the  Church  for 
strength  and  wisdom  to  carry  it  forward,  that  an  Inter-Synodical 
Foreign  Missionary  Convention  for  Men  would  meet  in  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  Feb.  19-21,  1907,  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  dis- 
tinct missionary  obligation  of  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  world. 

The  committees  constructed  to  carry  forward  this  great  conven- 
tion, designed  to  bring  together  not  less  than  i  ,000  men  from  every 
Synod  and  Foreign  Mission  field  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  were 
as  follows: — 


i6 


MEN   AND    THE    MODERN   MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 


ORGANIZATION 


Chairman, 


Advisory  Committee 

A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D. 
Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer 
Arthur  J.  Brown,  D.D. 
Mr.  Dwight  H.  Day 
Prof.  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Ph.D. 
Mr.  David  McConaughy 
Mr.  J.  M.  Patterson 

Executive  Committee 

Charles  Edwin  Bradt,  Chairman 
Benjamin  M.  Brown,  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
William  S.  Marquis,  Inter- Sy nodical  Representative 
Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  Omaha  Representative 

Inter-Synodical-Central-District-Committee 

Illinois,  W.  S.  Marquis,  D.D. 
Wisconsin,  J.  W.  Laughlin,  D.D. 
Missouri,  W.  C.  Atwood,  D.D. 
Nebraska,  B.  M.  Long,  D.D. 
Texas,  Arthur  F.  Bishop,  D.D. 
Indiana,  Rev.  Edward  Baech 
Minnesota,  Chas.  F.  Hubbard,  D.D. 
N.  Dakota,  Rev.  Ralph  T.  Fulton 
Kansas,  S.  S.  Estey,  D.D. 
New  Mexico,  Rev.  C.  R.  Brodhead 
Michigan,  Rev.  F.  W.  Lewis 
Iowa,  Rev.  Chas.  A.  Highfield 
S.  Dakota,  Rev.  D.  T.  Kuhn 
Oklahoma,  Rev.  W.  E.  Graham 
Colorado,  Rev.  O.  S.  Baum 

Omaha  Local  Committee 


Secretary, 

Place  of  Meeting, 

Entertainment, 
Students, 

Assignment, 


Rev.  Thomas  K.  Hunter,  D.D.,  4940  Under- 
wood Ave. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Wilson  Benson,  Omaha,  Neb. 

Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D.,  410  N. 
22nd  St. 

Rev.  M.  V.  Higbee,  2817  N.  19th  Ave. 

Prof.  Charles  Herron,  D.D.,  Omaha  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

Rev.  Walter  H.  Reynolds,  D.D.,  2615  S. 
15th  St. 


ORIGIN   AND   ORGANIZATION  1 7 

Registration,  Rev.  R.  L.  Purdy,  4319  Grant  St. 

Reception,  Rev.  R.  T.  Bell,  3615  N.  24th  St. 

Edu'l  and  Book  R'm,  Rev.  A.  S.  C.  Clarke,  D.D.,  4103  Lafayette 

Ave. 
Decoration,  Rev.  J.  B.  Cherry,  Ph.  D.,  General  Delivery. 

Publicity,  Rev.  Newman  Hall  Burdick,  1506  N.  26th 

St. 
Finance,  Mr.  Robert  Dempster,  3527  Harney  St. 


n 

THE   CONVENTION    CALL 

To  the  Men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A. 

This  is  a  year  of  all  years  for  seizing  the  missionary  opportunity, 
especially  for  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

This  year  we  celebrate  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  hay- 
stack meeting, — the  time  when  the  Foreign  Missionary  enterprise 
was  born  in  this  country.  This  year  is  the  centennial  anniversary  of 
the  Morrison  Missionary  undertaking  in  China.  This  year  is  the 
seventieth  anniversary  of  the  separate  organization  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  This  year  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.,  elected  as  its  moderator  one  of 
the  greatest  living  Foreign  Missionaries,  Rev.  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D., 
of  China.  This  year  the  heathen  nations  are  asking  as  never  before 
that  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  send  the  Gospel  to  them  and  come 
over  and  help  them.  This  year  the  men  of  our  church  are  organizing 
as  never  before  to  do  business  for  God.  This  is  the  year  of  union 
and  re-union  with  the  Cumberland  Church — when  we  enlarge  the 
place  of  our  tent  and  stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  our  habitation. 
Thus  this  year  furnishes  the  Presbyterian  Church  a  great  missionary 
opportunity,  when  we  should  lengthen  our  cords  and  strengthen  our 
stakes,  and  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left  hand,  that 
our  seed  may  inherit  the  Gentiles  and  make  the  desolate  cities  to  be 
inhabited. 

This  year  the  Foreign  Boards  of  the  various  denominations  are 
preparing  estimates  of  the  distinct  Foreign  Missionary  responsibility 
of  each  denomination.  Our  own  Presbyterian  Board  has  reached 
conclusions  on  this  subject  sufficiently  definite  to  make  it  obligatory 
and  mandatory  upon  the  church  to  undertake,  immediately,  to  adjust 
itself  to  a  Foreign  Mission  policy  far  more  stupendous  and  heroic 
than  the  church  has  ever  before  faced.  In  the  light  of  its  new  mis- 
sionary obligations  and  opportunities,  new  considerations  and  con- 
secrations are  absolutely  necessary. 

The  way,  and  the  only  way,  to  seize  our  missionary  opportunity 
and  discharge  our  missionary  obligations  now,  is  to  enlist  the  active 
and  energetic  interest  of  the  men  of  the  church. 

I.  We  cannot  discharge  our  present  Foreign  Missionary  obliga- 
tion by  appealing  to  children  and  young  people.  This  is  good  in  one 
way.  But  the  children,  at  best,  can  only  be  reared  and  trained  to 
serve  their  own, — which  is  the  next  generation,  not  this  one  which  is 
now  suffering  and  sorrowing  and  dying  for  lack  of  the  gospel.     The 

18 


THE  CONVENTION   CALL  IQ 

young  people  may  go  but  they  are  not  able  to  send.    They  are  offering 
to  go,  but  how  shall  they  go  except  they  be  sent? 

2.  The  women  are  not  able  to  meet  this  emergency  single-handed 
and  alone.  No  doubt  they  can  do  much  better  than  even  their  noble 
best;  but  the  men  of  the  church  largely  control  the  funds  and  the 
executive  resources  necessary  to  finance  and  organize  the  Kingdom 
of  God  throughout  the  whole  earth. 

3.  The  men  of  our  churches  are  organizing.  They  need,  yea, 
must  have,  missions  to  give  them  purpose  and  motive  and  objective 
if  their  organization  is  to  be  worth  while.  But  missions  need  men, 
and  the  Foreign  Missionary  enterprise  as  it  is  developing  to-day, 
must  have  the  mental  and  moral  and  moneyed  support  of  the  men  of 
our  churches.  Not  only  is  there  nothing  before  the  church  to-day 
that  makes  such  an  appeal  to  the  virility  of  its  membership  as  the 
Foreign  Missionary  proposition,  there  is  no  work  of  the  church  so 
dependent  upon  the  active  interest  and  support  of  the  men  as  this 
same  Foreign  Missionary  enterprise.  Not  only  so,  the  very  life  and 
maintenance  of  the  church  itself  as  an  influential  institution,  is  depend- 
ent upon  the  men  getting  back  of  this  work  of  world-wide  evangeli- 
zation. No  church  can  any  longer  ignore  its  debt  to  the  heathen 
nations,  and  respect  itself  or  be  respected  by  those  whom  it  would 
influence. 

Hence  a  great  Inter-Synodical  convention  of  men  from  the  fifteen 
Central  Synods  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.,  and  the  men  of 
the  Cumberland  Synods  of  the  same  District,  together  with  100  special 
representatives  from  the  other  Synods  and  the  Foreign  Field,  is 
called  to  meet  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  Feb.  19-21,  1907.  The  purpose 
of  this  convention  is  to  consider  the  distinct  missionary  responsi- 
bility OF  THE  MEN  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  FOR  THE  UN- 
EVANGELIZED  HEATHEN  V^ORLD. 

The  program  of  this  convention  will  be  constructed  with  a 
view  to  the  solution  of  the  greatest  practical  problem  now  before  the 
church  viz:  the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  world.  Leading 
speakers  and  missionary  experts  of  the  world  are  booked  to  be  present. 
Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  will  deliver  two  addresses.  Dr.  Hunter  Corbett, 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  will  be  present  throughout.  Dr. 
T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  the  Educational  Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Board  will 
be  present.  Rev.  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D.,  Home  Department  Secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  Secretary  Arthur  J.  Brown, 
D.D.,  have  promised  to  support  the  Convention,  and  give  invaluable 
assistance  in  every  way.  It  is  expected  that  Mr.  Wm.  J.  Bryan  will 
give  us  one  address  on  "What  I  think  of  Foreign  Missions."  Mr. 
John  Wanamaker  has  been  invited  to  speak  on  "Men  and  Money  for 
Foreign  Missions."  Edgar  P.  Hill,  D.D.,  the  new  Homiletic  Pro- 
fessor of  McCormick  Seminary,  and  former  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Portland,  will  speak  on  the  theme,  "How 
to  Interest  Men  in  Foreign  Missions."     Special  representatives  from 


20  MEN  AND   THE    MODERN    MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Foreign  Mission  fields,  as  James  S.  Gale,  D.D.,  author  of  "The 
Vanguard,"  and  Samuel  A.  Moffet,  D.D.,  a  principal  character  of 
that  remarkable  missionary  story  and  history  of  Korean  successes, 
and  many  leading  world  workers  from  all  parts  of  the  great  field  will 
lend  conspicuous  aid.  Hence  the  convention  will  be  representative 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  throughout  the  world. 

The  convention  will  be  self-sustaining  and  self-entertaining.  No 
other  kind  would  insure  the  results  desired,  or  be  worthy  the  impor- 
tance of  the  business  in  hand  or  the  dignity  of  the  men  who  are  needed 
to  advance  it. 

Omaha  will  not  only  furnish  the  place  of  meeting,  but  give  all 
necessary  attention  to  the  local  details  and  needs  of  the  convention. 
The  registration  will  be  limited  to  sixteen  hundred  men, — the  seating 
capacity  of  the  auditorium  to  be  used.  This  will  allow  an  average 
of  about  ICO  men  from  each  of  the  fifteen  Synods.  The  probability 
is  that  some  of  the  Synods  adjacent  to  Omaha  will  demand  a  larger 
number  than  the  above  average,  but  no  Synod  should  be  ambitious 
to  send  less  than  loo  men  to  this  convention,  which  has  for  its  purpose 
no  less  an  aim  than  to  further  the  organization  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  among  the  100,000,000  human  beings  which  belong  to  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  U.  S.  A.,  as  her  portion  of  the  race  to  gospelize 
and  baptize  in  this  generation.  The  Texas  Synods  are  already  talking 
of  sending  100  men  from  their  state. 

The  convention  will  be  a  delegated  body.  Delegates  will  fill  out 
the  Application  Card  provided  for  the  purpose  and  forward  it  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Executive  Committee,  together  with  $1.00,  the  regis- 
tration fee,  for  which  a  Credential  Card  will  be  issued. 

The  registration  fee  of  $1.00  is  charged  in  order  that  the  expense 
of  the  Convention  may  be  provided  in  a  business  like  way,  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  and  dignity  of  the  Convention,  without  drafting  the 
community  or  drawing  on  the  Foreign  Board. 

The  Convention  is  not  a  mass  meeting  but  a  representative  gather- 
ing. The  number  of  delegates  is  limited.  Early  registration,  there- 
fore, will  prevent  disappointment. 

The  program  will  be  connected,  dehberative,  cumulative  and 
conclusive. 

Delegates  should  plan  to  be  present  at  the  first  session  and  remain 
until  the  final  adjournment. 

It  is  the  plan  and  purpose  to  carry  the  conclusions  and  convictions 
of  this  Central  Convention  to  every  church  included  in  the  Convention 
territory.  The  wisdom  of  the  plan  is  apparent  to  all.  To  achieve 
the  largest  results,  it  will  be  necessary  for  Synodical  and  Presbyterial 
Committees  to  have  arrangements  well  in  hand  so  that  an  Echo  Cam- 
paign for  each  church  can  be  entered  upon  the  week  following  the 
Central  Convention.  Additional  matter  regarding  the  "After  Work" 
will  be  placed  later  in  the  hands  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Com- 
mittees of  each  Presbytery. 


THE   CONVENTION  CALL  21 

God  is  to-day  welding  together  the  men  of  the  church  into  a 
mighty  Brotherhood.  For  what  purpose  ?  Can  it  be  for  anything 
less  than  to  take  the  whole  world  for  Christ  and  to  establish  a  Uni- 
versal Brotherhood  of  Man?  The  Convention  at  Omaha  is  a  call 
to  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood  to  consider  and  determine  its  part 
in  the  program  of  this  world-wide  conquest  and  beneficent  enterprise. 

We  believe  that  God  has  ordered  this  Convention  and  that  He 
only  can  make  it  worth  while.  He  will  do  so  in  a  marvelous  manner 
if  we  ask  Him.  We  therefore  urge  all  who  read  this  announcement, 
whether  delegates  or  not,  to  remember  in  daily  prayer  the  interests 
of  this  great  Convention. 

All  correspondence  concerning  the  Convention  should  be  addressed 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Executive  Committee,  Mr.  Benjamin  M. 
Brown,  615  LeMoyne  Block,  Chicago,  111.,  or  to  the  undersigned. 
Yours  Fraternally  in  behalf  of  the  Committee, 
Charles  E.  Bradt, 
Chairman  of  Executive  Committee. 

An  Announcement 

In  coming  to  the  Inter- Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Convention 
for  Men,  please  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  a  great  business  Convention, 
called  for  a  definite  purpose,  viz. :  To  consider  the  distinct  Foreign 
Missionary  responsibility  of  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

To  get  this  business  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  authoritatively  be- 
fore the  Convention,  the  leading  officials  and  experts  of  our  church 
and  of  the  world  will  be  present  to  state  the  case  in  its  various  phases. 

When  the  facts  are  sufficiently  presented,  the  Convention  will 
resolve  itself  into  a  ''Mission  Congress"  to  discuss,  deliberate  and 
decide  what,  in  the  judgment  of  the  delegates,  is  the  responsibility  of 
the  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  the  unevangelized  heathen 
and  Mohammedan  world. 

The  privileges  of  membership  in  this  Convention  and  of  delibera- 
tion in  the  Congress  are  unique  and  great.  Let  all  who  are  to  enjoy 
this  distinction  pray  much  that  God's  purposes  may  be  fully  realized 
through  this  great  gathering  of  men. 


Ill 

CONFERENCE   WITH   SECRETARIES 

I 
The  Plan  for  an  Echo  Campaign  Following  the  Convention 
by  charles  edwin  bradt 

1.  Divide  the  churches  of  the  Presbytery  not  having  a  representa- 
tive at  the  Convention,  into  groups  of  as  many  as  you  have  available 
delegates  to  the  Convention  who  will  carry  the  message  of  the  Con- 
vention to  the  men  of  those  churches  following  the  Convention.  If 
necessary  utilize  week  nights  as  well  as  Sabbaths  in  making  your 
appointments. 

2.  The  delegates  should  report  to  the  men  in  their  own  churches 
following  the  Convention.  This  report  should  be  given  as  "A  Mes- 
sage to  the  Men  of  the  Church."  Where  there  is  a  Men's  organiza- 
ion  it  might  be  given  in  a  popular  meeting  under  their  auspices. 
Where  there  is  no  organization  the  occasion  should  be  utilized  to 
bring  the  men  together  to  hear  the  message  of  the  Convention  to  the 
men  of  the  church. 

3.  Delegates  should  visit  other  churches  not  represented  at  the 
Convention,  where  they  can  meet  with  the  officers,  elders,  deacons, 
trustees,  and  men  of  the  church  and  deliver  the  message  of  the  Con- 
vention to  them,  even  though  the  meeting  is  not  a  large  and  popular 
one.  The  principal  aim  should  be  to  meet  with  the  officers  of  the 
church  and  such  other  men  as  can  be  secured,  and  report  to  them 
the  conclusions  of  the  Convention,  securing  if  possible  their  endorse- 
ment of  these  conclusions.  If  a  public  and  popular  meeting  is 
arranged  for  this  report,  it  should  be  under  the  auspices  of  the  men 
of  the  church,  and  a  conference  should  he  held  afterwards  with  the 
officers  to  get  their  acceptance  of  those  conclusions,  if  such  is  not 
given  in  the  public  meeting. 

4.  Pastors  attending  the  Convention  should  be  secured  for  a 
Sabbath  exchange  with  pastors  of  churches  not  having  any  repre- 
sentative. This  exchange  should  be  made  as  soon  as  possible  aftef 
the  pastor  has  reported  to  his  own  church. 

5.  Encourage  each  church  to  make  the  most  of  this  opportunity 
to  hear  at  first  hand  the  message  of  this  Convention  for  Men.  It  will 
furnish  a  fine  opportunity  for  the  men  of  each  church  to  come  to  the 
front  and  hold  the  meeting  under  their  auspices.  A  few  cents  on 
their  part  for  advertising  literature  announcing  the  meeting  will 
make  large  returns.     All  expenses  including  the  traveling  expenses 


CONFERENCE  WITH  SECRETARIES  23 

of  the  speaker  can  be  easily  met  with  a  small  collection  at  the  close 
of  the  meeting. 

6.  Use  the  local  papers,  as  well  as  the  Synodical  and  general 
church  papers  to  publish  as  widely  as  possible  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention. 


n 

The  Forward  Movement 

by  mr.  david  mcconaughy 

In  Trumpet  Tones  God  is  challenging  the  church  to  go  up  and 
possess  the  lands  that  long  have  lain  in  darkness. 

1.  He  is  caUing,  as  for  centuries,  from  Above.  *'A11  the  earth 
shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  Jehovah."     Num.  14:  21. 

"For  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  Jehovah." 
Hab.  11:  14. 

"I  will  declare  the  decree:  Jehovah  said  unto  me,  thou  art  my 
Son ;  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee ;  ask  of  me  and  I  shall  give  thee  the 
heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
for  thy  possession."     Ps.  11 :  7-8. 

2.  He  is  calling  likewise  from  Abroad.  From  all  along  our  "far 
flung  battle  line"  come  tidings  of  victories  unprecedented  in  the 
annals  of  the  church. 

Our  fathers  prayed  for  many  a  weary  year  that  God  would  open 
doors  to  the  regions  beyond.  And,  lo !  bars  of  iron  have  been  broken 
and  gates  of  brass  have  swung  upon  their  creaking  hinges,  until  the 
whole  of  the  once  hermit  hemisphere  has  been  flung  open  wide. 

3.  He  is  calling  also  from  At  Home.  In  answer  to  the  prayer 
that  missionaries  might  be  thrust  forth  into  the  fields  white  already 
unto  harvest,  there  has  been  an  offering  of  young  life  such  as  has 
never  before  been  seen  in  all  the  history  of  the  Christian  church. 

God  wills  it ;  let  us  go  forward. 

THE   UNDERTAKING 

The  Forward  Movement  is  a  practical  expression  of  the  conviction 
of  the  church  that  the  one  "missing  link"  in  the  vast  enterprise  of  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  must  be  speedily  supplied,  that  the  men 
of  the  church  must  be  awakened  to  a  realization  of  their  privilege  and 
duty,  and  that  new  methods  as  well  as  a  better  spirit  must  be  intro- 
duced. 

How,  on  the  present  basis,  can  we  possibly  expect  to  ever  over- 
take what  we  have  undertaken.  Have  we  been  dealing  with  the 
problem  as  though  we  really  expected  to  work  out  what  we  have  so 
long  been  working  at? 


24  MEN   AND    THE    MODERN    MISSIONARY   ENTERPRISE 

We  have  occupied  fields  where  about  one  hundred  miUion  non- 
Christians  are  dependent  upon  us  for  the  Gospel.  With  splendid 
faith  and  large  hearted  hberality,  our  forefathers  entered  upon  a  vast 
enterprise.  Fields  have  been  entered  upon  every  continent  and  in 
contact  with  all  the  false  faiths  of  the  world.  After  more  than  seventy 
years,  how  is  the  trust  being  fulfilled?  Counting  all  our  men  on  the 
field,  unordained  as  well  as  ordained,  we  now  have  one  male  mission- 
ary for  every  300,000  of  the  population.  Each  man  is  made  respon- 
sible for  the  spiritual  care  of  as  many  people  as  are  to  be  found  in 
Arizona,  Nevada,  Wyoming  and  Alaska  combined.  Indeed  the  situ- 
ation is  even  more  overwhelming  than  could  thus  appear;  for  there 
are  districts  where  a  solitary  missionary  is  coping  with  the  needs  of 
more  than  a  million  souls  who  have  no  hope  and  are  without  God 
in  the  world. 

THE   AIM 

In  general,  to  seek  to  secure  distinct  advance,  an  enlargement  of 
the  missionary  force,  the  better  equipment  of  existing  work  and  the 
occupation  of  new  fields,  with  a  view  to  the  speedier  evangelization 
of  the  regions  committed  to  our  church.  In  each  church  our  object 
is  to  cooperate  with  the  pastor  in  developing,  especially  among  the 
men,  intelligent,  prayerful  and  practical  partnership  interest  in  carry- 
ing out  the  Master's  Great  Commission. 

THE    PLAN 

The  Forward  Movement  urges  universal  cooperation,  appeals  to 
spiritual  motives,  presents  a  specific  object  and  proposes  the  scriptural 
method  of  individual,  systematic  and  proportionate  giving — the  Rule 
of  Three  in  i  Cor.  16:2.  In  cultivation  of  the  spiritual  motive, 
especial  attention  is  given  to  developing  devotional  Bible  study  and 
prayer.  Mission  study  is  also  promoted  by  means  of  the  monthly 
concert,  the  library  literature  and  classes,  so  far  as  local  conditions 
admit.  With  a  minimum  of  machinery  and  a  maximum  of  power, 
the  Forward  Movement  seeks  to  enlist  every  member  of  the  church 
in  the  King's  business  of  giving  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,  and 
that  within  our  own  generation.  It  appeals  to  the  heroic  in  men  and 
calls  for  self-sacrifice. 


Opportunity 

"  Behold  I  have  set  before  thee  an  open  door^ 


25 


Chairman:  Ira  Landrith,  D.D.,  LL.D. 
Scripture  Reading:  A.  B.  Marshall,  D.D. 
Prayer:  Thomas  K.  Hunter,  D.D. 
Prayer:  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D. 
Benediction:  B.  M.  Long,  D.D. 


IV 

A  FRATERNAL  GREETING— THE  UNIQUE  IMPORTANCE 
OF  THE  CONVENTION 

BY    EDWIN    HART    JENKS,    D.D. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Any  city  in  this  broad  land 
of  ours  might  be  proud  to  welcome  so  distinguished  a  gathering  as 
the  Inter- Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Convention  for  Men.  For 
many  months  we  have  looked  forward  to  your  coming  with  eager 
anticipation;  and  the  hour  has  arrived,  full-freighted  with  promise. 
As  host  is  honored  by  illustrious  guest,  Omaha  is  honored  by  the 
presence  of  this  great  Convention, 

Other  municipalities  are  around  us  in  noble  array, — some  larger, 
more  beautiful,  and  better  equipped  for  lavish  entertainment;  but, 
if  the  grace  of  hospitality  can  be  expressed  in  heart  felt  welcome,  we 
yield  the  palm  to  none. 

The  Presbyterians  of  Omaha  have  shovm  their  faith  in  this  Con- 
vention, by  providing,  before  the  first  sitting  was  registered,  this  vast 
auditorium.  We  have  expected  large  things  from  you;  and  we  have 
hoped  that  the  blessing  which  you  bring  might  fall  upon  the  widest 
possible  circle  in  this  vicinity.  Not  for  a  moment  could  we  deny  oui 
noble  women  workers  the  encouragement  and  inspiration  of  this 
assemblage,  and  we  also  wish  our  sister  churches  an  abundant  share 
with  us.  Our  guests  in  the  galleries  are  as  welcome  as  the  delegates 
on  the  floor.  You  will  indulge  me  I  am  sure  to  speak  briefly  of  the 
significance  of  the  Convention. 

First  of  all  let  me  say,  it  is  unique.  When  in  the  history  of  the 
church  have  we  seen  or  read  of  the  like?  Upon  this  floor  are  men  of 
various  avocations  of  life,  who  with  no  selfish  end  to  gain,  have  come 
here  at  their  own  charges,  prepared  to  consider  a  definite  proposition 
of  Christian  duty,  namely,  the  distinct  responsibility  of  the  men  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  to  Foreign  Missions. 

We  must  recognize  that  the  church  has  manifold  activities,  each 
of  vast  importance, — such  as  the  evangelizing  of  centers  of  population, 
— the  home  mission  to  a  scattered  and  heterogeneous  people, — the 
fostering  of  coUeges  and  seminaries  and  the  like.  "These  ought  ye 
to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the  other  undone."  Nevertheless  we 
are  here  to  concentrate  all  the  powers  of  mind  and  heart  upon  the 
vital  theme  Men  and  Missions,  until  it  becomes  clear  and  luminous. 
We  are  to  seek  not  over-emphasis  but  perspective. 

This  convention  is  made  up  of  representative  men.     They  repre- 

27 


28  MEN   AND    THE   MODERN    MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

sent  the  best  spirit,  the  best  ideals,  and  the  best  devotion  of  our  heritage. 
Men  are  here  from  the  east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north  and 
from  the  south;  men  whose  names  are  lustrous  with  civic  honors; 
men  whose  service  in  heathen  lands  have  gained  them  place  among 
the  immortals;  some  there  are  from  fields  too  humble  for  the  gaze  of 
men,  but  whose  names  are  on  the  Honor  Roll  in  the  Lamb's  Book 
of  Life.  Here  are  men  of  every  calling,  eminent  in  every  profession, 
successful  in  every  pursuit  in  the  business  world.  Young  men  are 
here,  God  bless  them,  aspiring  for  a  life  that  will  touch  with  skill  and 
force  the  great  world  problems.  This,  sir,  is  a  convention  of  leaders, 
— a  council  of  the  war  staff  of  the  church. 

It  is  good  for  even  a  few  short  hours  to  meet  face  to  face,  and  see 
eye  to  eye;  God  alone  holds  the  measure  of  its  possibilities.  We 
believe  that  this  convention  is  God  inspired.  Jesus  Christ  when  He 
left  the  earth  set  the  church  on  the  watch  for  future  guidance.  He 
left  His  message  incomplete,  purposely.  That  last  night  before  His 
death  He  said,  "I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot 
bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when  He,  the  spirit  of  truth  is  come,  He 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth. — He  shall  receive  of  mine  and  show  it 
unto  you."     The  church  is  a  spirit-directed  church. 

There  are  two  sources  of  truth, — revelation  and  reason ;  and  there 
are  two  methods  by  which  God  makes  known  to  men  His  will, — by 
special  commission  to  the  individual  man,  as  the  prophets  and  the 
apostles,  and  through  the  general  enlightenment  of  the  ages.  That  is, 
God  is  discerned  in  history.  We  have  received  the  prophets  and  the 
book,  but  has  God  no  added  word  through  the~  progressive  enlight- 
enment of  mankind?  What  were  these  "many  things"  which  Christ 
left  unsaid,  and  yet  which  we  were  to  know?  Some  old  manuscript 
hidden  in  the  crypts  of  Sidon,  or  under  the  ruins  of  Capernaum? 
Some  prelude  to  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  yet  undiscovered?  Not  so; 
the  canon  is  closed.  No  man  can  add  thereto,  and  no  man  dare 
abstract  therefrom  since  the  last  of  Revelation  was  given.  The 
inspired  pen  is  silent,  but  the  Spirit  is  yet  breathing  forth  a  continued 
inspiration.  Peter  heard  it  at  Joppa  and  went  to  the  home  of  Cor- 
nelius, the  Gentile,  with  the  Gospel  message;  Philip  heard  it  and 
attached  himself  to  the  Ethiopian  eunuch ;  Paul  heard  it  and  went  to 
Europe.  It  led  Carey  to  India,  Livingstone  to  Africa,  and  Morrison 
to  China.  That  voice  becomes  vocal  to-day,  when  commerce  has 
laced  the  waterways  of  earth  with  trading  ships;  when  the  cable 
makes  the  distant  shores  of  the  world's  seas  to  chant  in  unison; 
when  the  "flying  rolls"  of  the  great  presses  are  diflfusing  knowledge 
everywhere.  Carey  saw  a  world  shut  up  to  the  missionary.  To-day 
all  this  is  changed.  The  utilities  of  the  ages  have  given  the  world 
a  new  inspiration  for  evangelization.  Let  us  narrow  events  down  to 
our  own  land,  and  to  this  last  decade.  Ten  years  ago  this  nation  was 
at  peace,  content  to  abide  alone  and  live  out  our  lives  in  splendid 
isolation.     Not  a  war  cloud  marred  our  horizon.     The  burdens  of 


A   FRATERNAL  GREETING  29 

other  nations  were  not  our  own,  and  we  thanked  God  for  prosperity 
and  security.  Then  came  the  cry  of  our  httle  island  sister  on  the 
south.  Armies  sprang  up  like  magic.  Great  war  vessels  steamed  - 
forth  to  the  Antilles.  All  eyes  were  turned  eastward,  all  ears  strained 
to  hear  the  rattle  of  musketry,  when  Dewey's  guns  thundered  at 
Manila,  and  America's  frontier  was  the  Philippines.  The  splendid 
isolation  was  at  an  end.  America  was  face  to  face  with  the  Orient; 
San  Francisco  with  Nagasaki;  the  Pacific  Ocean  a  "New  Mediter- 
ranean." 

It  is  written  that  the  ''wrath  of  man  shall  praise  Him."  If  God 
stopped  not  Alexander  on  his  march  to  Indus  at  the  prayers  of  pros- 
trate nations,  but  used  the  Macedonian  campaign  to  spread  Greek 
culture  and  a  knowledge  of  the  Greek  tongue,  with  which  the  apostles 
preached  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ;  if  under  the  eagles  of  the 
iron  monster  Rome  the  missionary  of  the  cross  found  room  to  hide; 
if  the  conquest  of  the  Saracen  which  placed  the  cresent  above  the 
cross  at  the  Golden  Horn,  and  prepared  Europe  for  the  Revival  of 
Letters,  the  Renaissance  in  Art,  and  the  Reformation  in  religion, 
through  driving  the  scholars  of  the  world  from  Byzantine  cloisters, 
can  we  not  believe  that  He  has  prepared  to  lead  this  nation  out  into 
a  larger  place,  filled  perchance  with  the  tears  of  great  sacrifice,  that 
America  should  hold  the  post  of  honor  during  the  mighty  evolutions 
that  will  shake  the  foundations  of  the  heathen  world,  age-bound  with 
superstition? 

Shall  we  who  read  and  heed  the  i6th  of  Mark,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,"  be  deaf  to  this  voice 
of  our  own  times,  emphasizing  in  tones  of  thunder  that  same  great 
commission? 

And  God's  Spirit  is  speaking  in  these  nearer  days  to  His  church. 
Deep  has  been  calling  to  deep.  Witness  the  significant  movements 
in  our  own  beloved  church.  There  is  the  Evangelistic  Movement, 
the  Forward  Movement,  the  Reunion  with  the  Cumberland  Church, 
the  Brotherhood  Convention,  the  recent  Laymen's  Movement,  every 
one  of  which  seems  to  have  its  focal  point  in  this  convention. 

I  am  glad  that  this  convention  has  come  to  the  west  bank  of  the 
Missouri,  and  I  commend  the  business  judgment  that  brought  it 
here.  It  is  far  away  from  the  usual  accepted  centers  of  influence  and 
power,  but  this  convention  cannot  be  obscured.  This  part  of  our 
land  is  comparatively  new,  but  destined  to  have  a  great  future.  The 
west  is  great  for  what  there  is  yet  to  do.  We  are  building  an  empire 
with  noise  and  shout,  and  we  are  also  laying  the  deeper  moral  founda- 
tions, without  sound  of  axe  or  hammer  or  any  tool  of  iron.  The 
great  central  west  is  bound  to  have  much  to  do  in  days  to  come  with 
the  world's  food  supply.  What  will  it  do  in  providing  the  Bread  of 
Life?  Statisticians  are  telhng  of  the  wealth  of  the  west  in  figures  that 
are  astounding.  They  draw  before  our  imagination  train  loads  of 
grain  reaching  many  times  around  the  world ;  they  picture  the  cattle 


30  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

upon  the  thousand  hills  that  shame  the  former  tales  of  elk  and  bison ; 
they  point  to  mines  producing  wealth  like  heaped  up  mountains  of 
gold.  The  dreams  of  Golconda  are  surpassed  by  fact.  God  has 
equipped  us  to  do  great  things  for  Him.  How  shall  we  discharge 
the  responsibility  that  this  entails? 

Men  of  the  Convention,  our  Christ  is  an  imperial  Master.  He 
dreamed  dreams  of  conquest  no  man  ever  dared  to  dream.  All  the 
world  was  His  horizon;  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  were  His 
possession.  No  nation  can  be  too  high  for  His  moral  and  spiritual 
leadership,  and  none  too  low  for  His  uplifting  love.  He  has  laid  His 
claim  to  the  allegiance  of  the  nobility  of  every  clime  and  time  in  that 
declaration,  "Everyone  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  No 
widow's  tears  or  orphan's  sighs  follow  His  triumphant  march,  but 
righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  To-day  He  is 
calling  His  church  to  this  glorious  mission  by  His  word  and  by  His 
spirit,  "Go  evangelize  all  nations,  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  always  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  ages." 

Mr.  Chairman  this  convention  is  not  an  end,  it  is  a  means.  Its 
mission  is  to  be  a  voice  of  spiritual  power.  We  are  here  to  deliberate 
and  decide,  we  shall  go  away  to  diffuse  and  inspire.  No  hall  is  big 
enough  to  hold  this  convention.  Already  it  has  existed  for  some 
months  in  the  hearts  and  prayers  of  thousands,  and  when  we  are 
done  it  will  lift  up  a  voice  whose  echo  will  be  drowned  in  the  louder 
clearer  note  of  the  whole  church.  The  press  will  give  it  tones  of 
thunder,  and  the  pulpit  will  pour  forth  the  message  like  the  early 
rains  of  spring,  the  whole  church  will  grow  more  fruitful. 

This  is  no  small  question  we  are  to  consider,  nor  is  it  one  for 
which  we  are  unequal.  Rich  as  we  are  growing  in  material  blessing, 
we  are  richer  in  mental  equipment.  No  enterprise  is  too  great  for 
American  wealth  and  genius.  Let  this  convention  sound  the  true  note 
and  the  church  will  not  be  appalled,  but  will  thank  us  for  the  service. 
It  is  a  man's  task,  a  task  to  test  the  capacity,  a  task  to  call  out  the 
resources  of  mind  and  means  of  the  men  of  our  church;  but  it  is  a 
task  with  a  glorious  motive.  It  is  to  carry  out  the  work  initiated  by 
the  coming  of  the  Redeemer,  and  for  which  He  paid  the  last  full 
measure  of  devotion  on  Calvary.  He  sends  us  to  this  task  with  the 
hope  and  promise  of  success,  for,  the  nations  of  this  world  shall  be- 
come the  nations  of  the  Lord  and  His  Christ. 


V 

A  RESPONSE— THE  PRESENT  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE 

CONVENTION 

BY  IRA  LANDRITH,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Two  very  distinct  impressions  I  have  about  the  genesis  and  motive 
of  this  First  Inter-Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Convention  for 
Men : — 

(i)  This  Convention  was  needed; 

(2)  This  is  the  time  for  it. 

The  evangehzation  of  the  world  in  this  generation  is  both  the 
privilege  and  duty  of  the  church, — the  duty  of  the  church  because  it 
is  the  privilege  of  the  church.  But  if  this  privilege  and  this  duty  are 
to  become  a  glorious  realization, — and  why  not? — such  conferences 
as  the  one  we  are  to-night  beginning  to  hold  must  become  so  general 
as  to  be  a  matter  of  course  in  all  of  the  churches,  and  not  the  sensa- 
tional surprise  this  one  seems  to  be  everywhere  and  to  nearly  every- 
body. 

Tf  we  could  multiply  by  five  the  money  and  men  and  women  we 
have,"  explained  Robert  E.  Speer  to  us  at  the  Brotherhood  Conven- 
tion three  months  ago,  "we  could  succeed  in  one  generation  in  bring- 
ing the  gospel  into  the  reach  of  every  man,  woman  and  child  of  the 
hundred  millions  or  less  who  constitute  our  peculiar  people."  He  did 
not  add  what  he  doubtless  believes  as  confidently  as  any  of  us  do, 
that  reaching  with  the  gospel  all  of  the  people  in  our  presently  allotted 
foreign  field  would  not  absolve  the  Presbyterian  Church  from  mis- 
sionary obligation  to  any  other  neglected  portion  of  the  "all  the 
world"  territory  in  which  the  several  Christian  churches  must  "preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature."  But  a  generation  is  long  enough  time 
for  the  multiplying  of  our  resources  five  fold  and  for  adequately 
supplementing  with  our  gifts  of  men,  women  and  money  the  activities 
of  any  other  churches  that  may  need  help  in  "cringing  the  gospel 
into  the  reach  of  every  man,  woman  and  child"  of  their  "peculiar 
people." 

But  it  is  a  magnificently  masculine  enterprise,  a  tremendous  task, 
which  it  were  as  vain  as  it  is  ungallant  to  undertake  by  feminine 
proxy.  All  honor  to  those  missionary  school  mistresses  abroad,  the 
members  of  our  Women's  Missionary  Societies,  who  have  talked  to 
us  and  prayed  and  paid  for  us  to  the  end  that  we  might  shoulder  our 
share  of  this  man's  burden  of  world-evangelization ;  for  these  good 
women  knew,  what  we  are  at  last  learning,  that  the  world  must  be 
made  acquainted  with  Christ,  and  that  if  this  long  over-due  intro- 

31 


32  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

duction  is  ever  accomplished  we  men  must  more  than  heed  the  aposto- 
lic injunction,  "Help  those  women."  No  man  acquainted  with  the 
facts  has  yet  been  heard  to  boast  of  the  knightliness  of  Christian  men 
in  the  missionary  enterprise,  for  we  know  too  well  how  long  we  have 
calmly  laid  the  crushing  load  of  this  greatest  work  in  the  world  on 
frail  feminine  shoulders,  the  while  we  were  permitting  ourselves  to 
be  called  "the  burden  bearers  of  the  earth !"  We  can  still  find,  as  we 
probably  ought  to  do,  abundantly  satisfying  reasons  for  doing  the 
voting  while  the  women  pay  the  taxes  which  our  ballots  impose  upon 
them;  and  we  will  doubtless  continue  to  do  the  preaching  while 
women  practice  the  higher  spiritual  life;  but  the  time  has  fully  come 
when,  without  unpardonable  blasphemy,  we  cannot  longer  interpret 
the  Great  Commission  as  a  command  for  "women  only." 

There  never  was  anything  effeminate  about  the  stalwart  under- 
taking of  carrying  forward  to  its  all  comprehensive  completion  the 
mighty  mission  of  the  Man  of  Galilee.  It  is  essentially  "a  man's 
job,"  and  it  appeals  to  every  boasted  masculine  virtue  of  heroism 
and  strength,  of  daring  and  patience,  of  generosity  and  self-sacrifice, 
of  real  superior  physical  prowess  and  complacently  assumed  excellence 
of  intellectual  power. 

Confessedly  the  evangelization  of  the  world  is  not  exclusively  a 
service  for  "men  only."  There  will  continue  to  be  a  place  for  woman's 
work  for  heathen  women  and  children,  and  candor  compels  the 
declaration  that  the  place  is  very  much  larger  than  the  one  now  being 
filled  by  the  gifts  of  money  and  life  which  women  are  making  all  too 
sparingly,  but  the  lion's  share  of  every  such  gigantic  endeavor  ought 
to  be  assumed  by  the  men,  whose  arms  are  known  to  be  stronger 
and  whose  purses  supposed  to  be  longer. 

Write  it  large,  then,  in  the  Book  of  the  Acts  of  Presbyterian 
Apostles,  that  on  and  after  the  meeting  of  the  Omaha  Inter-Synodical 
Foreign  Missionary  Convention  for  Men,  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  are  going  to  fill  up  the  firing 
line  in  the  campaign  for  the  Christian  conquest  of  the  world  in  this 
generation.  No  camp  followers  wanted,  and  no  sulking  in  tents 
allowed ! 

There  have  been  half  whispered  questions  about  the  inoppor- 
tuneness  of  this  convention's  meeting  date;  and  some  well  meaning 
prophets  of  the  less  than  good  have  trembled  lest  the  Omaha  Con- 
vention might  by  some  process,  not  carefully  described  by  them, 
absorb  the  Indianapolis  Brotherhood  idea,  and  use  that  whole 
mighty  movement  for  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  Without  even 
conscious  secret  resentment  toward  these  gentle  Jeremiahs,  we  ven- 
ture to  bid  them  calm  their  anxiety.  No  single  church  enterprise  is 
equal  to  the  task  of  swallowing  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood;  and 
if  it  were,  there  would  be  no  time  for  assimilation  before  the  same 
Brotherhood  would  be  again  on  dry  land  and  enroute  to  Nineveh. 
But  it  ought  to  require  no  argument  to  prove  that  if  any  one  enter- 


THE   PRESENT  IMPORTANCE   OF  THE   CONVENTION  33 

prise  of  our  Zion  should  appropriate  and  use  the  splendid  impulses 
and  intelligent  zeal  of  that  most  promising  of  the  later  children  of 
Providence,  the  Presbyterian  Brotherhood,  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions should  do  it ;  for  the  church  has  no  other  such  strenuous  service 
to  offer  to  men  who  are  looking  for  the  heroic.  The  Brotherhood, 
which  was  born  to  toil  and  which  will  die  unless  it  finds  all  the  worthy 
and  definite  work  it  can  do,  must  include  foreign  mission  study, 
sacrifice,  and  giving  in  its  varied  program.  Surely  the  Indianapolis 
organization  hath  come  to  the  Kingdom  for  such  a  time  as  this  and 
now  that  foreign  mission  work  has  been  relieved  of  the  handicap 
which  the  halo  of  mere  sentimentality  threw  around  it,  and  the  weak- 
ness which  popular  prejudices  once  visited  upon  it,  men,  manly  men, 
self-respecting  and  respect-compelling  men,  su<^h  as  should  compose 
the  Brotherhood,  will  make  haste  to  take  up  this  work  as  one  of  the 
chief  of  the  Brotherhood's  activities. 

In  the  light  of  the  growing  conviction  that  the  evangelization  of 
the  world  is  an  early  possibility,  and,  therefore,  our  immediate 
responsibility,  how  could  this  convention  be  more  opportune,  unless 
it  could  have  been  held  months,  or  even  years  ago?  And  those  of 
you  whose  profession  is  observing  the  signs  of  the  times  will  be  ready 
to  say  that  it  could  not  have  been  held  earlier.  Surely,  surely,  then, 
in  view  of  the  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  at  the  Hay  Stack 
Centennial,  and  the  resulting  Interdenominational  Laymen's  Move- 
ment, launched  the  other  night  in  New  York,  nobody  who  believes 
that  God  is  certainly  working  out  His  perfect  will,  could  argue  that 
this  magnificent  gathering  of  Presbyterian  men  has  assembled  too 
early. 

I  am  glad  this  meeting  is  being  held  just  now  and  just  here; 
just  now  because  it  is  so  evident  that  "Now  is  the  accepted  time"  for 
men  to  be  marshaled  for  vast  religious  achievements,  and  just  here 
because  this  is  the  west,  the  all-daring  west  where  men,  accustomed 
to  attempt  great  things  for  the  prosperity  of  their  section,  have  created 
an  atmosphere  of  liberty  and  ambition  in  which  we  ought  to  find  it 
easier  to  successfully  attempt  great  things  for  the  prosperity  of  our 
cause,  the  conquering  of  all  nations  by  the  sign  of  the  Cross. 

I  am  glad,  too,  that  in  the  call  issued  for  this  convention  it  was 
announced,  that  while  representatives  from  fifteen  Central  Synods  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  would  be  expected  to  attend,  "all  the  former 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Synods"  were  also  entitled  to  representa- 
tion in  this  convention,  which  has  set  as  its  sublime  goal  the  considera- 
tion of  the  "distinct  missionary  responsibility  of  the  men  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  for  the  unevangelized  heathen  world."  It  was  for  such 
service  as  this  that  the  union  of  these  two  churches  was  sought,  and, 
as  we  believe,  divinely  brought  about ;  and  it  is  more  than  co-incidence, 
I  believe  it  is  of  God's  doing,  that  the  first  great  gathering  of  the  re- 
united church  was  for  the  formation  of  a  Brotherhood,  and  the  second 
a  convention  to  propose  a  plan  by  which  the  organization  of  our  united 


34  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Presbyterianism  might  resolutely  attack  the  problem  of  world-wide 
soul-saving,  which  problem  suggested  and  hastened  this  first  ecclesi- 
astical union  of  a  century,  a  century  that,  before  it  has  reached  its 
noon,  will  have  become  historic  as  the  period  when  very  many  of  the 
churches  voluntarily  lost  their  identity  in  an  united  and  triumphant 
struggle  for  the  salvation  of  a  lost  world. 

Verily  this  convention  must  have  been  of  God's  own  appointment. 


VI 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS  A  WORLD  FORCE 

BY  SECRETARY  A.  W.  HALSEY,  D.D. 

The  London  Daily  Mail  is  publishing  a  series  of  articles  by  its 
special  correspondent,  Mr.  F.  A.  McKenzie.  In  a  recent  article  Mr. 
McKenzie  treats  of  the  missionary  in  China.  He  admits  that  there 
has  been  much  misunderstanding  on  the  part  of  the  British  public 
regarding  the  efficient  and  self-denying  labor  of  the  missionary.  He 
writes  that  the  educational  reformation  which  is  sweeping  over  China 
is  due  in  no  small  degree  to  the  faithful  and  painstaking  work  of  the 
missionary.  He  is  but  echoing  the  opinion  of  Chester  Holcomb,  as 
published  in  the  North  American  Review,  of  Mr.  Frederick  Mc- 
Cormick,  the  War  Correspondent  of  Leslie's  Weekly,  of  General 
McArthur,  representative  of  the  United  States  Government  in  the 
Russio- Japanese  War,  and  of  many  other  travelers  and  diplomats 
who  have  studied  the  missionary's  work, with  the  same  care  that  they 
have  devoted  to  other  subjects. 

The  testimony  of  thesemen  of  Europe  and  America  is  emphasized 
by  the  actions  of  prominent  men  in  non-Christian  lands.  The  King 
of  Korea  has  recently  given  to  the  Presbyterian  Board  not  less  than 
$3,000.  The  Emperor  of  China  within  a  few  years  has  donated 
to  the  Peking  Hospital,  under  control  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  and  the  Presbyterian  Board,  a  sum  equal  to  nearly  $7,000. 
The  King  of  Siam,  the  Head  of  the  Buddhist  religion,  was  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  Boon  Itt  Memorial,  and  the  High  Commis- 
sioner of  Siam  has  recently  offered  to  erect  a  dispensary,  hospital,  and 
a  missionary  residence  in  Puket,  South  Siam.  A  prominent  Persian 
contributed  not  long  since  to  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission 
in  Persia,  some  2,000  tomans,  and  in  addition,  sent  a  letter  expressive 
of  the  beneficent  work  of  the  Board.  Such  illustrations  from  non- 
Christian  men  in  non-Christian  lands  attest  the  efficiency  of  the 
missionary  and  tell  all  too  plainly  how  missions  have  become  a  great 
world  force. 

I 

The  forces  employed  in  the  work  of  Foreign  Missions  evidence 
that  it  is  a  world  enterprise.  A  business  which  in  a  single  year  ex- 
pends $21,000,000 — employs  18,581  agents  and  89,200  sub-agents, 
or  a  total  working  force  of  over  108,000,  that  has  36,721  offices  where 
its  business  is  carried  on,  that  controls  and  carries  on  with  efficiency 
29,100  schools,  colleges  and  universities,  where  the  principles  of  its 
business  are  inculcated  day  after  day,  is  no  small  concern. 

35 


36  MEN   AND   THE    MODERN   MISSIONARY   ENTERPRISE 

All  good  men  rejoice  in  the  munificent  gift  announced  the  other 
day  of  $32,000,000  for  the  cause  of  education  in  our  own  land.  No 
one  doubts  the  need  of  a  thoroughly  educated  body  of  people  in  a 
democracy  such  as  the  one  in  which  we  live.  Think  for  a  moment 
however,  of  what  a  million  dollars  or  two  million  dollars  would  do 
for  the  29,100  educational  institutions  in  foreign  lands.  Each  one 
of  these  institutions  is  dominated  and  controlled  by  the  principle 
taught  by  Jesus  Christ.  The  Gospel  is  taught  in  every  mission 
school,  college  or  university.  A  Professor  of  Robert  College  said 
to  me,  "While  it  is  true  no  large  number  of  our  students  in  the  college 
confess  Christ,  none  of  them  go  out  without  being  thoroughly  per- 
meated with  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel."  This  is  true  of  the  Syrian 
Protestant  College,  the  Forman  College,  the  McKenzie  College  and 
every  other  institution  under  the  control  of  Mission  Boards  and 
Societies;  yet  great  as  the  force  employed  is  at  present,  this  very 
Conference  is  called  to  consider  the  possibility  and  advisibility  of 
increasing  it.  The  Presbyterian  Board  is  suggesting  that  instead  of 
900  missionaries  it  shall  have  4,000 — instead  of  2,600  native  workers 
and  assistants,  it  shall  have  10,000 — instead  of  1,000  schools  and 
colleges,  5,000,  and  in  place  of  a  budget  of  $1,200,000  the  amount 
shall  be  increased  to  $6,000,000.  This  is  within  the  possible.  We 
hope  to  present  it  to  the  next  Assembly.  We  trust  this  Men's  Con- 
ference will  bring  this  matter  clearly  before  the  church.  If  our 
Board  takes  the  lead  in  this,  other  Boards  will  follow.  See  what  this 
will  mean.  A  half  million  workers,  native  -and  foreign — 200,000 
stations  and  out-stations — $100,000,000  a  year  for  missions,  and  150,- 
000  educational  instutions,  where  hand  and  mind  and  heart  will  be 
trained  for  the  best  things  of  the  life  that  now  is  and  that  which  is  to 
come.     We  are  dealing  with  a  world  force. 

II 

The  results  accomplished  testify  to  the  magnitude  of  the  enter- 
prise.    Let  us  mention  a  few: — 

I.  The  one  fact  prominent  in  all  missionary  enterprises  from  the 
days  of  St.  Paul  to  the  present  hour  is  that  God  has  made  of  one  blood 
all  nations  of  men  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  missionary 
has  stoutly  maintained  that  the  black  man,  the  yellow  man,  the  brown 
man  and  the  red  man  is  as  capable  of  receiving  and  accepting  and 
being  uplifted  by  the  Gospel,  as  the  white  man.  While  on  the  Island 
of  Fernando  Po  I  saw  the  race  known  as  the  Bubis.  It  seemed  to 
me  they  were  almost  animals.  In  appearance  they  differed  not  much 
from  the  chimpanzee.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  true,  as  a  learned  pro- 
fessor assured  me,  that  in  anatomical  structure  they  were  nearer  the 
chimpanzee  than  in  mental  and  moral  power  they  were  near  to  the 
cultured  European.  A  wild  people,  fierce  in  countenance,  grotesque 
in  grimace,  hideous  in  their  gutteral  voice,  horrible  objects  to  look 
upon,  yet  it  was  my  pleasure  on  a  Sunday  afternoon,  in  November 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS   A   WORLD    FORCE  37 

1904,  to  worship  with  150  of  these  Bubis,  clothed,  transformed, 
beautified  with  all  the  graces  of  Christian  character.  There  is  no 
race  of  men  to  whom  the  Gospel  has  been  sent  that  it  does  not  uplift. 
Years  ago  when  Williams  issued  his  book,  "The  Middle  Kingdom," 
few  men  believed  in  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  Chinese.  To-day  all 
acknowledge  that  the  Chinese  are  a  great  people.  The  missionary 
has  demonstrated,  beyond  a  peradventure  of  a  doubt,  that 

"Down  in  the  human  heart  crushed  by  the  tempter 
Feelings  lie  buried  that  grace  can  restore." 

2.  The  missionary  has  evidenced  the  world-embracing  scope  of 
his  mission  by  the  uplifting  of  the  submerged  tenth.  Everywhere 
to-day  the  lower  strata  of  society  is  coming  toward  the  light,  the 
bottom  man  is  climbing  the  ladder;  the  oppressed  races  are  beginning 
to  rise.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  missionary  has  had  much 
to  do  with  this.  We  are  told  that  in  China  the  people  are  demanding 
a  new  constitution.  Who,  I  ask  has  done  more  than  the  missionary 
to  wrest  from  reluctant  rulers  this  boon?  In  Persia  the  constitution 
has  actually  been  promised.  The  Persian  is  a  Caucasian,  an  Aryan. 
Think  what  it  means,  the  Shah  of  Persia  traces  his  lineage  back 
through  a  long  line  of  illustrious  kings.  Darius  boasts  in  his  inscrip- 
tion that  he  is  a  Persian,  the  son  of  a  Persian,  an  Aryan,  and  of  Aryan 
blood.  The  Persian  people  are  promised  a  constitution.  It  will 
surely  be  given. 

Your  quiet  missionary  in  his  work  of  teaching,  healing,  preaching, 
has  been  no  small  factor  in  producing  this  result. 

We  are  shocked  at  the  atrocities  on  the  Congo.  We  are  pained 
at  the  slow  progress  of  reform.  We  believe  that  human  greed  is 
taking  the  life  blood  of  the  poor  Congo  native,  but  the  Twentieth 
Century  will  not  permit  this  to  continue  long.  Already  there  are 
signs  of  the  coming  dawn.  The  Congo  will  be  redeemed.  The 
missionary  has  had  no  small  share  in  this  result. 

In  India  the  people  are  asking  for  self-government.  It  will  be 
a  long  time  ere  the  Hindu  will  be  ready  to  govern  himself.  The  fact 
that  he  has  asked  for  this  boon  is  evidence  of  changes  the  like  of  which 
was  hardly  dreamed  100  years  ago,  when  William  Carey  began  his 
work.  To  Carey  and  his  long  line  of  noble  successors  we  must  give 
the  meed  of  praise  for  making  such  a  request  possible.  The  great 
economic  and  social  changes  wrought  by  the  missionary  are  evidence 
of  his  world  embracing  work. 

3.  The  philanthropic  and  humanitarian  work  of  the  missionary 
has  been  co-extensive  with  the  world's  great  need. 

The  medical  missionary  has  driven  out  witchcraft;  superstition 
has  fled  before  him,  and  Christianity  has  driven  out  brutality.  What 
could  be  more  significant  than  the  gathering  a  few  months  ago  in  the 
city  of  Bangkok,  of  the  Prime  Minister,  the  Prince  Imperial,  the 
learned  men  of  Siam  and  your  medical  missionaries?    The  subject 


38  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

under  discussion  was  the  large  death  rate  of  children.  Your  physi- 
cians proposed  vaccination  as  a  remedy.  The  Prime  Minister  listened 
to  what  your  physicians  said,  and  plans  were  put  in  operation  which 
we  have  no  doubt  will  result  in  the  saving  of  many  innocent  baby 
lives. 

The  abolition  of  foot  binding  and  of  the  opium  curse  in  China, 
have  been  wrought  within  a  few  months,  and  wrought  largely  by  the 
work  of  the  missionary.  David  Livingstone  said,  "I  go  out  to  open  a 
way  for  Commerce  and  Christianity."  Africa  to-day  in  its  tremendous 
commercial  and  Christian  development  is  a  living  testimony  to  the 
industry,  the  faithfulness,  the  breadth  of  vision,  of  Scotland's  intrepid 
missionary,  the  immortal  Livingstone  and  his  faithful  co-laborers. 

m 

Greater  than  all  this  however,  is  the  development  of  a  native 
Christian  church.  It  is  not  in  the  mere  number  of  conversions,  or 
hospitals  erected,  or  patients  treated,  (during  last  year  your  own 
Board's  missionaries  treated  over  445,000  patients,)  but  it  is  in  the 
growth  and  development  of  a  native  Christian  church  that  we  see  the 
evidence  of  world  power  of  Christian  missions.  Each  self-supporting, 
self-propagating  church  is  a  source  of  power  and  light  for  the  lands 
of  darkness. 

Japan  easily  leads  the  eastern  world  in  its  desire  to  carry  on  the 
work  of  evangelization  unaided.  It  is  practically  asking  the  Boards 
at  home  to  permit  it  to  develop  its  own  work,  and  while  the  time  has 
not  yet  come  for  us  to  cease  to  send  missionaries  to  Japan,  it  is  a 
refreshing  sign  of  the  times  that  the  50,000  Christians  in  Japan  are 
willing  to  assume  such  large  burdens. 

A  recent  letter  from  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Bryan  who  visited  Manchuria, 
tells  of  the  splendid  evangelistic  work  of  the  Japanese  Christians. 
One  Government  official,  an  officer  of  the  army,  the  head  of  the 
Commissary  Department  during  the  war,  was  found  to  be  the  leader 
of  a  band  of  Christian  Japanese  doing  valiant  service  for  the  Master. 

In  China,  the  union  of  various  Christian  bodies  is  making  rapid 
progress.  Denominational  differences  are  sinking  in  view  of  the 
great  world  conquest. 

In  India  the  various  branches  of  our  Presbyterian  church  have 
already  united  and  formed  the  Presbyterian  church  of  India.  This 
means  an  aggressive  campaign  for  salvation  in  India.  The  India 
church  has  formed  a  missionary  society  with  the  express  purpose  of 
reaching  the  millions  in  India  who  have  not  yet  heard  the  Gospel. 

In  Korea,  Dr.  Moffett  tells  us  that  at  least  100,000  people  are 
enrolled  as  adherents  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  this  work  is  largely  due 
to  the  work  of  the  native  Christian.  Many  missionaries  in  Korea 
have  done  little  preaching  to  the  unconverted,  but  the  native  Chris- 
tian carries  the  Gospel  to  his  fellow  countrymen  and  brings  them  for 
further  instruction  to  the  missionary.     All  signs  of  the  times  point 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  A  WORLD   FORCE  39 

in  the  next  few  years  to  a  robust,  vigorous,  aggressive  native  church. 
This  is  the  consummation  long  wished  for  by  every  missionary.  It 
means  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 

IV 

The  foreign  missionary  aims  at  a  whole  world — nothing  less. 
His  watch  word  is  the  evangelization  of  the  whole  world. 

Think  what  it  means  to  attack  the  Mohammedan  world — the 
conference  of  representatives  of  missionary  societies  at  work  in 
Mohammedan  lands,  held  at  Cairo  in  February,  1906,  indicates  the 
purpose  of  the  Mission  Campaign.  Nothing  less  than  the  overthrow 
of  Mohammedanism, — the  greatest  power  which  to-day  confronts  the 
Christian  world. 

The  missionary  has  gone  all  over  the  African  world.  See  to-day 
how  Africa  is  dotted  with  Mission  Stations.  It  seems  to  me  but 
yesterday  that  I  read  of  the  cruel  death  of  Hannington.  Yet  last  fall 
a  son  of  Hannington,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,  baptized 
the  son  of  the  man  who  murdered  his  father.  I  know  of  nothing  in 
history  more  suggestive  of  the  power  of  the  grace  of  God,  the  grace  that 
could  lead  the  son  of  Hannington  to  go  to  Africa,  and  the  grace 
that  transformed  the  son  of  the  murderer  of  his  father.  It  is  a 
grace  that  can  save  the  world. 

The  missionary  attacks  the  Asiatic  world.  He  has  no  fear  of  the 
yellow  peril.  Once  implant  the  Gospel  in  the  hearts  of  the  Japanese, 
or  the  Chinese,  or  the  Hindus,  and  the  yellow  peril  vanishes. 

He  fears  not  to  go  to  the  Island  World.  The  story  of  that  saint, 
John  G.  Paton,  who  has  just  gone  to  his  rest;  the  story  of  James 
Chalmers,  the  story  of  George  Leslie  Mackey,  are  too  fresh  in  our 
memories  to  let  us  even  for  a  moment  forget  that  nothing  less  than 
the  Islands  of  the  sea  must  give  their  tribute  to  King  Jesus. 

Dear  old  Griffith  John,  who  for  50  years  has  served  the  Lord  in 
China,  said  the  other  day  that  if  an  angel  from  heaven  should  come 
and  say  to  him,  "Griffith,  the  Lord  has  given  you  another  50  years," 
he  would  reply,  "I  would  give  them  all  to  China."  This  is  the  spirit 
of  the  missionary.  He  is  not  daunted  by  defeat,  he  fears  no  failure,  he 
is  aided  by  a  Master  who  is  ever  present  and  whose  command  is  ever 
"go  forward." 

I  believe  the  true  picture  of  the  missionary  to-day  is  to  be  found  in 
Gordon's  statue  at  Khartoum.  He  is  depicted  sitting  on  a  camel, 
gazing  over  the  great  desert  from  whence  his  salvation  was  expected, 
but  alas,  came  too  late.  A  picture  of  the  missionary  at  the  present 
hour.     A  beautiful  emblem. 

"We  call  him  saint  and  hero;  here  he  fell 

That  England  might  possess  that  land  for  God ; 
Died  the  heroic  spirit  on  that  day, 

When  with  his  blood  he  soaked  the  thirsty  sod. 
Must  he  forever  o  'er  the  desert  watch  and  wait 
For  the  Soldier  of  the  Cross  who  cometh  late?" 


obligation 

'^IVe  are  His  witnesses  of  these  things." 


Chairman:  Mr.  J.  I.  McClelland. 
Benediction:  Rev.  Edgar  W.  Work,  D.D. 


42 


VII 

"THE  SCRIPTURE  BASIS   OF  MISSIONS  "—A  BIBLE 

READING 

BY  REV.  PERRY  V.  JENNESS 

"  Then  opened  he  their  understanding,  that  they  might  understand  the 
scriptures,  and  said  unto  them,  Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ 
to  suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day;  and  that  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning 
at  Jerusalem.     And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things."     Luke  24:  45-48. 

It  is  the  day  of  the  resurrection.  The  little  band  of  disciples  are 
gathered  in  the  upper  room.  All  their  doubts  and  fears  are  now 
dissipated  by  the  appearance  of  the  risen  Savior.  With  wonder  and 
amazement  they  receive  from  Him  this  commission  to  go  to  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  and  witness  concerning  the  forgiveness  of  sin. 

For  the  first  time  their  vision  is  world  wide.  Like  all  loyal  Jews 
they  have  fondly  dreamed  of  a  Messianic  Kingdom.  One  that  would 
be  universal  in  its  influence,  but  include  only  Israel  in  its  sphere  of 
blessing.  Jewish  supremacy  would  mean  material  blessing  to  the 
world,  but  only  Israel  would  enjoy  the  favor  and  grace  of  God. 
Now  their  eyes  are  opened  to  understand  the  scriptures.  They  see 
that  God's  plan  all  along  has  been  to  bless  the  whole  earth.  Redemp- 
tion in  Jesus  Christ  marked  the  culmination  of  this  plan.  Its  procla- 
mation has  been  delegated  to  them.  Their  message  is  to  be  a  uni- 
versal gospel.  How  quickly  they  grasped  this  new  idea,  and  how 
earnestly  they  sought  to  carry  out  that  command  of  the  Master,  is 
recorded  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  written  by  the  same  author  who  gives 
us  this  Gospel. 

The  present  day  need  of  the  church  is  a  like  awakening.  We 
need  to  have  our  eyes  opened  to  understand  the  scriptures.  Like  the 
disciples,  we  have  utterly  failed  to  fully  comprehend  two  things: — 
God's  purpose  for  the  whole  world,  and  God's  plan  for  our  own  lives. 
If  we  can  get  a  clear  view  of  these  two  things  from  the  Word  of  God, 
we  shall  have  the  scriptural  basis  of  all  missionary  effort.  We  must 
therefore  let  the  Word  speak  to  us. 

Our  First  discovery  will  be  that  the  Bible  is  from  beginning  to 
end  a  Missionary  Book.  The  missionary  idea  stands  at  the  very 
center  of  divine  revelation.  Redemption  for  the  whole  world  was 
not  an  after-thought  with  God. 

I.  It  is  foreshadowed  in  Old  Testament  promise  and  prophesy. 
Gen.  12:  1-3.  This  is  the  great  seven-fold  promise  to  Abram.  Two 
of  these  wonderful  promises  for  the  world:  "Thou  shalt  be  a  bless- 

43 


44  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

ing," — and  "In  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 
Gen.  22:  18.  Here  the  promise  is  repeated  with  emphasis.  All  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  be  included.  Gen.  49:  10,  The  Shiloh  (rest- 
giver)  was  to  be  the  master-magnet  for  all  men. 

Psa.  72:  17.  All  nations  to  share  in  his  blessing.  More  than 
twenty-five  of  the  Psalms  have  a  distinct  missionary  message. 
Paul  writing  to  the  Romans  (10:  20)  says,  "Isaiah  is  very  bold"  in 
declaring  the  gospel  to  be  for  the  Gentiles,  and  a  careful  study  of 
the  sixty-six  chapters  of  that  wonderful  prophesy  will  enable  one  to 
understand  what  a  world-wide  vision  Isaiah  had.  Isa.  11:  10,  42 :  1-6, 
49:6,  50:1-3. 

2.  The  universal  Gospel  is  fully  announced  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Luke  2:  10.  Here  it  is  first  heard  in  the  song  of  the  angels. 
John  1 :  29.  John  the  Baptist  becomes  the  herald  of  the  grace  of  God 
to  all  men.  John  3:  16-17.  Early  in  Christ's  ministry'  He  declares 
that  His  mission  is  to  the  world.  Three  times  in  verse  seventeen  the 
word  "world"  appears.  Again  and  again  He  asserted  Himself  to  be 
the  Light  of  the  World. 

3.  The  Universality  of  the  Gospel  is  proved  by  the  scope  of  the 
Atonement,  i  Jno.  2:2;!  Tim.  2:6;  2  Cor.  5:  19.  Without  going 
into  any  discussion  of  the  Atonement  in  its  theological  aspect,  here 
are  expressions  that  are  evidently  all  inclusive:  "The  whole  world;" 
"for  all;"  "the  world." 

4.  The  Gospel  invitations  are  universal  in  their  application. 
Isa.  55:1;  Matt.  11:28;  Rom.  10:12-13;  Rev.  22:17.  These  all 
express  God's  desire  for  men  everywhere. 

5.  It  is  emphasized  by  the  scope  of  the  Judgment.  Acts  1 7 :  30-31 ; 
John  5:27-29. 

6.  The  Song  of  the  Redeemed  makes  clear  God's  purpose.     Rev. 

5:9- 

7.  Add  to  all  these  the  plain  commands  of  Christ  to  His  church. 
Matt.  28:  18-20;  Mark  16:  15;  Luke  24:  47-48;  John  20:  21;  and  Acts 
1:8. 

Second,  We  shall  find  in  the  Word  of  God  a  complete  program 
for  all  Missionary  activity.  Acts,  i :  8  is  the  key  verse  of  the  Book. 
"Jerusalem,  Judea,  Samaria,  the  Uttermost,"  was  to  be  the  order  of 
the  work.  The  first  seven  chapters  of  the  Acts  give  us  the  story  of 
the  work  in  Jerusalem.  In  the  eighth  chapter  the  regions  of  Judea 
hear  the  message,  and  in  the  fifth  verse  Philip  goes  to  Samaria. 
Beginning  with  the  tenth  chapter  the  Gospel  swings  away  from  Israel 
and  starts  in  its  onward  march  toward  Rome.  The  Book  of  Acts 
covers  just  a  little  over  thirty  years.  A  single  generation.  In  that 
time  the  church  was  scattered,  and  the  great  Gentile  cities  Caesarea, 
Antioch,  Philippi,  Corinth,  Athens,  Ephesus  and  Rome  heard  of  the 
grace  of  God  in  Christ.  The  lesson  for  us  to-day  in  this  book  is  that 
the  church  is  intended  to  be  a  radiating  and  not  a  rallying  center. 
The  Book  of  Acts  has  no  formal  ending.    We  are  still  in  the  church 


THE    SCRIPTURE   BASIS    OF  MISSIONS  45 

age.  Each  new  generation  is  adding  a  chapter  to  the  book.  Will 
the  record  we  are  making  compare  with  that  made  by  the  early 
church? 

2.  The  missionary  obhgation  upon  us  is  that  of  Evangelization. 
We  are  not  called  to  convert  the  world,  nor  to  civilize  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  but  to  offer  men  the  Gospel.  John  Mott  defines  "evangeliza- 
tion" in  this  way  :  "It  means  to  give  all  men  an  adequate  opportunity 
to  know  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Savior.  It  involves  such  a  distribution 
of  missionary  agencies  as  will  make  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
accessible  to  all  men."  Matt.  24:  14;  Acts  1:8;  Acts  3:  15;  Acts  5:  32; 
Acts  10:39.  The  ruling  word  in  these  familiar  verses  is  Witness, 
and  this  is  the  central  thought  of  evangelization.  How  simple  is 
God's  plan.  Let  every  man  become  a  witness.  Witnessing  is  just 
knowing  and  telling. 

"If  you  cannot  cross  the  ocean 

And  the  heathen  lands  explore, 
You  can  find  the  heathen  nearer, 

You  can  help  them  at  your  door. 
If  you  cannot  speak  like  angels, 

If  you  cannot  preach  like  Paul, 
You  can  tell  the  love  of  Jesus, 

You  can  say  He  died  for  all." 

3.  The  church  is  responsible  for  the  generation  now  living.  Acts 
13:  36;  Rom.  i:  14-15.  God's  call  to  the  men  of  this  convention  is 
in  behalf  of  the  millions  now  living.  Our  duty  is  to  "give  them 
to  eat." 

4.  The  responsibility  rests  upon  every  believer. 
As  a  steward,  i  Peter  4: 10. 

As  a  trustee,  i  Thes.  2:4;  i  Tim.  i:  11. 

As  an  ambassador,  2  Cor.  5:  18-20.     John  17:  18. 

As  a  preacher  of  the  Word,  Acts  8:4.  In  the  first  verse  of  this 
chapter  we  note  that  the  apostles  were  left  in  Jerusalem.  It  was  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  disciples  who  went  out  as  preachers  of  the  grace 
of  God.  Rom.  10:  15.  "And  how  shall  they  preach  except  they 
be  sent?" 

Finally,  what  God  demands  is  faithfulness  and  obedience,  i 
Cor.  4:  2;  Matt.  25:  21;  Luke  16:  10.  It  is  not  a  question  of  talents, 
or  of  success,  but  of  obedience,  i  Sam.  15:22;  Jas.  4:17;  John 
14:15;  John  15:14.  Are  we  friends  of  Christ?  Do  we  honestly 
sing,  "My  Jesus  I  love  thee?"  Then  we  are  under  obligations  to 
carry  out  His  last  command. 


VIII 
VISIONS  OF  THE   FOREIGN   FIELD— CHINA 

BY  HUNTER  CORBETT,  D.D. 

"  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields;  for  they  are  white  already  to 
harvest." 

A  professor  has  written,  "The  best  education  grows  fiom  the 
broadening  intelligence  that  comes  through  eye  and  ear  and  the  simple 
experiences  of  life."  This  is  Christ's  method  of  teaching.  He  wishes 
all  His  disciples  to  see  the  world  from  the  view  point  of  heaven.  The 
apostle  Peter  used  a  similar  method  and  exhorted,  "Giving  all  dili- 
gence, add  to  your  faith  virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge.  .  .  .  Grow 
in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  God  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ." 
The  more  we  know  of  Jesus  and  His  mission  to  this  world,  and  of  His 
plan  of  associating  His  disciples  with  Him  in  the  saving  of  men,  the 
more  divine  will  be  inspiration  for  every  detail  in  missionary  work. 

Obedience  to  the  text  requires  every  Christian  in  order  to  be  able 
to  pray  with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding,  to  have  eyes  to 
see  clearly  all  over  the  world  the  great  ripe  harvest  fields  that  all  may 
take  some  worthy  part  in  the  reaping.  Everything  else  must  give  way 
at  harvest  time.  Ripe  fields  imperatively  demand  prompt  reaping. 
No  thoughtful  person  can  close  his  eyes  to  the  ripe  fields  all  over  our 
own  beloved  land.  What  is  the  meaning  of  more  than  a  million  of 
immigrants  coming  like  an  avalanche  from  lands  of  oppression,  over- 
crowding, and  poverty,  to  better  their  conditions  and  make  their 
homes  with  us?  A  great  mission  field  at  our  very  door; — more  than 
ten  million  people  to  speak  the  English  language?  How  are  all  these 
people  to  learn  the  true  meaning  of  ci\al  and  religious  liberty?  The 
sacredness  of  the  Sabbath,  and  have  a  sa\ing  knowledge  of  the  only 
Savior  God  has  sent  into  the  world  except  as  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
animated  by  His  love  act  in  loyal  obedience  to  this  command  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature?  The  safety  of  our  country,  the  peace  of 
our  homes,  require  all  to  unite  in  prompt  action.  Not  only  members 
of  the  Christian  church,  but  law  abiding  and  patriotic  citizens  must 
enter  these  great  harvest  fields  calling  imperatively  for  immediate 
reaping. 

The  text  requires  all  to  lift  up  their  eyes  and  look  upon  the 
teeming  millions  beyond  the  ocean.  Starting  from  the  Pacific  coast, 
a  few  days  brings  Japan  into  view.  Three  years  ago  the  population 
was  46,880,030,  more  than  the  population  of  the  U.  S.  A.  fifty  years 
ago.  This  country  was  opened  by  treaty  in  1852  by  Commodore 
Perry; — not  a  gun  was  fired  and  the  friendship  of  the  Japanese  was 

46 


VISIONS    OF  THE   FOREIGN   FIELD — CHINA  47 

secured.  In  1859  the  first  protestant  missionaries  arrived  there. 
The  first  convert  baptized  in  1864.  In  1872  a  church  of  eleven 
members,  nine  of  them  young  men,  was  organized  in  Dr.  Hepburn's 
study.  In  1873  the  proclamation  which  for  more  than  250  years  had 
made  a  profession  of  the  Christian  religion  a  crime  punishable  with 
death,  was  canceled.  There  are  now  between  50,000  and  60,000 
communicants  in  connection  with  the  protestant  church,  and  a  large 
number  connected  with  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Greek  churches. 
Liberty  of  conscience  is  now  granted  to  all  in  Japan.  Men  holding 
high  positions  in  the  government  and  at  the  head  of  the  army  or  navy 
are  either  Christians  or  have  sympathy  with  the  Christian  religion. 
The  Emperor  and  Empress  recently  gave  a  contribution  of  $5,000 
gold  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  that  men  might  visit  the  army  hospitals  and 
Men  of  War.  A  grand  work  was  done  and  the  friendship  of  officers 
and  soldiers  won  by  these  faithful  Christian  workers.  Since  the  close 
of  the  Russian- Japanese  War  the  Japanese  soldiers  have  returned 
to  all  parts  of  the  Empire  to  tell  of  the  fruits  of  this  Christian  religion. 
It  is  said  no  less  than  1,000  soldiers  of  the  Japanese  army  have  openly 
professed  faith  in  Christ.  The  native  church  of  Japan  is  now  sending 
missionaries  to  Formosa,  Manchuria  and  elsewhere.  If  Japan  as  a 
nation  accepts  of  Jesus  and  are  as  loyal  to  Him  as  the  soldiers  during 
the  late  war  were  to  their  Emperor,  what  a  power  that  nation  may  be 
in  the  universal  spread  of  the  Christian  religion ! 

It  is  said,  last  year  ninety-three  per  cent  of  all  the  children  of  school 
age  attended  the  full  year  in  Japan.  Their  army  is  equal  in  organi- 
zation and  efficiency  to  any  of  the  western  nations.  Japan  has  a 
world-wide  commerce,  and  has  become  a  power  to  be  reckoned  with 
in  the  settlement  of  all  questions  in  the  east. 

KOREA 

A  nation  of  12,000,000.  The  first  missionaries  of  the  protest- 
ant church  went  there  in  1882.  At  the  end  of  twelve  years  120 
converts  were  reported.  There  is  now  a  Christian  constituency 
of  100,000  people.  The  rapid  spread  of  Christianity  there  is  due 
chiefly  to  the  spontaneous  and  voluntary  efforts  of  the  native  con- 
verts. When  they  find  Christ,  like  Andrew  they  go  in  search  of  their 
brothers  and  people  and  plead  with  an  earnestness  that  many  cannot 
resist. 

CHINA 

In  1840  there  was,  so  far  as  known,  only  one  professing  Chris- 
tian in  that  vast  Empire  of  400,000,000  people.  Three  years  later 
there  were  reported  six  protestant  missionaries  and  five  converts. 
In  1844  the  proclamations  making  a  profession  of  Christianity  a  crime 
worthy  of  death  were  canceled.  Five  ports  at  the  close  of  the  war 
with  Great  Britian  were  opened  to  foreign  trade  and  residence.  In 
i860  there  were  probably  about  1,000  converts  confined  chiefly  to  the 
open  ports  as  missionaries  were  not  allowed  to  live  in  the  Interior. 


48  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

There  are  now  not  less  than  150,000  communicants  in  connection 
with  the  different  protestant  missions.  The  Roman  CathoHc  Church 
claims  as  many  more.  Since  the  Boxer  uprising  in  1900,  50,000  new 
converts  have  been  added  to  the  Christian  Church, — more  than  were 
added  the  first  sixty  years  of  missionary  work, — that  was  a  time  of 
seed  sowing  and  foundation  work.  At  the  same  rate  of  increase 
another  fifty  years  will  give  millions  of  converts  in  China.  God  does 
not  work  by  human  arithmetic.  If  God's  people  of  every  home  in 
Christian  lands  constrained  by  love  to  Jesus  and  in  obedience  to  the 
last  command, — one  that  has  never  been  canceled, — preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature,  before  another  fifty  years  by  the  blessing  of 
God,  may  not  only  China  but  other  non- Christian  nations  be  won 
for  Christ?  Is  anything  too  hard  for  Him  who  said,  "All  power  is 
given  unto  mc  in  heaven  and  in  earth"? 

What  an  inspiring  vision  to  keep  before  the  church,  and  what  a 
privilege  that  all  may  be  co-workers  with  Christ  in  making  known 
salvation  to  all  people. 

ARMY  OF  MARTYRS 

During  the  Boxer  uprising,  188  protestant  missionaries  including 
their  children,  were  called  to  die  for  Christ,  and  probably  between 
30,000  and  40,000  Chinese  converts  also  met  the  death  of  martyrs. 
Many  of  them  might  have  saved  their  lives  if  they  had  been  willing 
to  deny  Christ.  They  said,  "We  have  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  be  loyal  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  can  die  for  Him  who  died  for  us." 
They  committed  their  souls  to  Jesus,  sang  His  praises,  and  suffered 
themselves  to  be  speared,  cut  in  pieces,  beheaded  or  burned  at  the 
stake. 

Does  anyone  require  stronger  evidence  of  sincerity  than  this? 
Could  God's  people  in  America  have  done  better  under  similar 
circumstances? 

The  Chinese  as  a  people  have  many  noble  qualities,  and  parti- 
cularly in  their  reverence  for  their  parents.  They  have  followed  the 
light  they  had  in  obedience  to  the  fifth  commandment  and  have 
received  the  blessing  promised  to  such.  They  have  a  reverence  for 
old  age,  which  I  should  be  glad  to  see  as  universal  in  our  own  land. 
They  are  perhaps  the  most  industrious,  persevering,  economical  people 
on  the  earth.  They  are  lovers  of  home  and  law  abiding.  They  are 
also  brainy,  equal  to  any  task  the  west  has  yet  been  able  to  present. 

China  is  now  awakening  as  Japan  has  done.  Schools  from 
the  kindergarten  up  to  the  universities  are  being  opened,  as  in  Japan. 
Post  offices  and  telegraph  systems  are  being  introduced.  Imperial 
proclamations  against  foot  binding  and  opium  smoking  have  been 
issued.  10,000  to  15,000  of  the  best  young  men  are  now  being 
educated  in  Japan.  Military  schools  and  colleges  are  now  crowded 
and  daily  taught  by  expert  militar}^  men  from  Japan  and  Germany. 
The  army  is  being  organized  after  the  western  model.    Wait  a  few 


VISIONS    OF   THE   FOREIGN  FIELD — CHINA  49 

years  and  should  Japan  and  China  unite,  what  western  nation  would 
want  to  meet  them  in  deadly  conflict  on  the  battle  field? 

What  is  responsible  for  awakening  this  military  spirit  in  the  east 
where  for  centuries  the  teaching  of  the  sage  has  been  peace?  The 
western  nations  in  going  with  armies  and  navies  to  compel  China 
to  submit  to  their  dictation  and  compel  them  to  pay  heavy  indem- 
nities and  put  the  custom  house  service  under  foreigners  as  security, 
— has  compelled  China  in  self  defense  to  organize  and  train  an  army. 
What  can  now  be  done  to  aid  that  people  so  they  shall  not  be  a  terror 
in  the  earth  but  a  mighty  power  for  good  and  only  good? 

Surely  now  is  the  opportunity  of  the  ages  to  observe  the  Golden 
Rule  and  secure  the  lasting  friendship  of  that  great  people.  Help 
them  to  save  the  millions  now  face  to  face  with  famine.  Send  wise 
men  as  Minister  and  Consul  to  hold  up  high  ideals  of  justice  and 
mercy.  Send  our  best  educated  young  men  and  women  to  assist  in 
teaching  in  the  new  schools  and  colleges  and  daily  live  and  hold  up 
the  Christian  ideal  life  before  the  rising  generation.  The  doors  are 
now  wide  open.     The  outlook  is  full  of  hope. 

Shall  the  church  in  America  promptly  respond  to  the  Macedonian 
cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us"? 


IX 

VISIONS   OF  THE  FOREIGN  FIELD— KOREA 

BY  REV.  SAMUEL  A.  MOFFETT,  D.D. 

The  message  from  Korea  is  a  spiritual  message.  Those  of  us 
who  have  had  the  privilege  and  the  joy  of  seeing  tens  of  thousands 
transformed  in  life  and  character  by  the  grace  of  God,  who  have 
received  the  inspiration  from  the  wonderful  work  of  God's  grace  in 
the  hearts  of  the  Koreans,  whose  faith  has  been  quickened  by  seeing 
the  power  of  the  simple  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  trust  that  some  of 
that  joy  and  inspiration  may  come  to  the  home  church  and  that  your 
faith  may  be  quickened  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  as  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  who  bclieveth. 

We  do  not  expect  little  Korea,  in  area  the  size  of  Kansas  but  with 
twelve  millions  of  people,  to  become  a  great  commercial  nation  such 
as  China  is,  or  a  great  military  power  such  as  Japan  has  become,  but 
we  do  expect  it  to  become  a  great  spiritual  power,  perhaps  the  great 
spiritual  power  of  the  Far  East.  Remember  that  Judea  was  but  a 
little  nation,  subjugated,  humiliated,  yea  carried  into  captivity  by 
the  great  commercial  and  military  nations  of  Assyria,  Babylon  and 
Egypt,  yet  in  the  Providence  of  God  little  Judea  became  the  great 
spiritual  power  of  the  world  and  in  Judea  -the  Messiah  was  born 
bringing  a  spiritual  blessing  to  the  whole  world.  So  we  believe  that 
little  Korea,  contemned,  subjugated,  humiliated  Korea  is  yet  in  the 
Providence  of  God  to  become  the  great  spiritual  power  of  the  Far 
East  influencing  the  great  commercial  and  military  powers  of 
Japan,  China  and  Russia.  Is  this  too  much  to  expect?  Why  else 
has  God  so  wonderfully  poured  out  His  Spirit  upon  this  little  nation? 

Seventeen  years  ago  when  I  made  my  first  visit  to  Pyeng  Yang, 
there  was  not  a  Christian  in  the  city.  On  my  next  visit,  I  one  morning 
saw  a  crowd  of  boys  having  a  frolic  as  they  dragged  through  the  main 
street  of  the  city  the  corpse  of  an  old  man  over  seventy  years  of  age,  a 
stranger  who  had  been  cast  out  on  the  streets  the  night  before  and 
left  to  die  of  hunger,  disease  and  cold,  lest  dying  in  the  house  his 
spirit  should  haunt  the  place.  As  the  boys  went  hooting  and  yelling, 
the  merchants  in  their  shops  on  the  main  street  were  laughing  and 
urging  them  on  in  their  frolic. 

During  this  same  visit  the  relatives  of  a  murdered  man  demanded 
of  the  magistrate  the  murderer  who  was  in  jail,  and  leading  him  to  a 
little  knoll  inside  the  city  wall  where  the  murder  had  been  committed, 
they  set  him  in  their  midst  and  there  taking  their  pocket  knives  they 
literally  picked  him  in  pieces,  in  sight  of  the  crowd  which  gathered. 

so 


VISIONS   OF  THE   FOREIGN   FIELD — KOREA  5 1 

This  was  heathenism,  dark,  dense  heathenism,  unrelieved  by  the 
light  of  the  gospel.  On  all  sides  I  was  met  with  suspicion  and  hatred 
and  as  I  walked  the  streets  heard  the  muttered  curses  of  the  mer- 
chants saying,  "Look  at  the  black  rascal!  why  has  he  come?  let's  kill 
him,"  and  time  and  again  was  I  stoned  in  the  streets  of  the  city. 

This  was  the  attitude  of  the  people  sixteen  years  ago.  When  we 
left  for  furlough  the  first  of  June  last,  more  than  a  thousand 
Christians,  men,  women  and  children,  merchants,  scholars  and 
officials  walked  three  miles  to  the  railway  station  to  bid  us  farewell 
and  as  they  lined  up  there  singing  the  Christian  hymns,  and  the  fifty 
theological  students  w^hom  I  had  been  teaching  the  previous  two 
months  stepped  forth  to  pin  on  our  breasts  little  silver  medals  in 
token  of  their  love  and  appreciation,  one  of  their  number  having 
stoned  me  through  the  streets  sixteen  years  ago,  do  you  wonder  that 
my  wife  and  I  with  tears  in  our  eyes  said  to  each  other  that  the 
privilege  of  our  lives  had  been  to  bring  the  gospel  to  this  most  wicked 
city  in  Korea? 

Sixteen  years  ago  not  a  Christian  in  the  city.  To-day  there  are 
six  churches  whose  congregations  every  Sunday  number  4,000  people. 
The  largest  building  in  the  city  is  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church 
with  a  congregation  every  Sabbath  of  1,500  and  a  weekly  prayer 
meeting  every  Wednesday  night  of  1,200  believers. 

Ten  Christian  schools  with  a  thousand  boys  and  girls  in  attend- 
ance, a  Christian  constituency  of  6,000  people  in  this  one  city  where 
40  per  cent  of  the  houses  now  have  one  or  more  Christians  in  them  and 
these  churches  perfect  bee-hives  of  Christian  activity  influencing  the 
whole  surrounding  territory.  At  Syen  Chun  the  station  farthest  north 
one-third  of  the  population  are  church-goers.  I  l<^now  of  whole  villages 
which  are  now  Christian  and  our  churches  little  and  big  are  now  so 
widely  established  that  in  the  three  Northwestern  Provinces  there  is 
not  a  county  which  has  not  from  one  to  thirty-five  churches  and  of 
the  population  of  more  than  two  million,  more  than  half  are  within 
five  miles  of  a  Christian  church. 

Seventeen  years  ago  there  were  probably  100  Christians  in  the 
whole  nation.  To-day  we  claim  a  Christian  constituency  of  100,000, 
thirty  thousand  having  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Ruler  of  their 
hearts  during  this  last  year.  Better  even  than  these  statistics  of 
large  ingatherings  and  of  a  large  constituency  are  the  characteristics 
of  the  church  and  the  work  which  these  Korean  Christians  are 
doing. 

First  of  all  it  is  a  Bible  loving  and  Bible  studying  church.  It  was 
gathered  and  has  grown  by  the  simple  presentation  of  the  scriptures 
as  the  word  of  God,  His  message  to  men  of  salvation  from  sin  through 
His  Son  Jesus  Christ.  The  great  system  of  Bible  study  and  Training 
Classes  is  the  very  foundation  of  the  great  work  which  has  been 
accomplished.  In  these  classes  the  women  gather  for  from  ten 
days  to  two  weeks  of  Bible  study,  the  classes  numbering  from  5  to  550 


52  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

in  attendence,  some  of  the  women  walking  even  150  miles  in  order  to 
attend  them. 

Beside  the  regular  Sabbath  morning  Bible  School  in  each  church 
attended  by  men,  women  and  children,  we  aim  to  hold  from  one  to 
three  Bible  Training  Classes  in  each  church  and  these  classes  for  men 
may  number  15,  or  25,  or  100  or  as  in  the  central  class  at  Chai  Ryong 
over  500  and  in  Pyeng  Yang  over  800  and  in  the  banner  class  last 
year  at  Syen  Chun  more  than  1,100  men.  The  time  is  spent  in  Bible 
Study,  in  Spiritual  Conference  and  Prayer  and  in  Evangelistic  ser- 
vices so  that  these  classes  become  power  houses,  regular  dynamos 
generating  the  spiritual  electricity  which  is  going  with  the  men  and 
women  back  to  their  homes  in  city  and  in  mountain  villages  and  is 
most  profoundly  affecting  the  whole  country.  In  400  such  classes 
more  than  20,000  men  and  women  were  gathered  last  year,  7,060  of 
these  being  women  of  whom  probably  not  more  than  one  in  a  hundred 
could  read  15  years  ago,  but  who  have  now  learned  to  read  in  order 
to  study  God's  Word. 

It  is  because  of  these  Bible  Training  Classes  that  another  char- 
acteristic of  the  church  in  Korea  is  its  Great  Spiritual  Power  and 
Appreciation  of  Spiritual  Truth.  The  appeal  to  them  has  been  based 
upon  the  spiritual  blessings  of  Christianity  and  no  educational  ad- 
vantages, no  philanthropic,  political  or  financial  advantages  and  not 
the  advantages  of  Western  civilization  have  preceeded  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  great  spiritual  truths  which  have  laid  hold  upon  and 
gripped  these  people  with  a  power  which  has  wrought  transformation 
in  the  lives  of  thousands. 

When  I  first  went  to  Pyeng  Yang  there  lived  inside  the  East  gate 
an  inn-keeper,  a  man  of  good  family,  of  good  education  and  a  man 
of  splendid  business  ability  but  he  was  a  drunkard,  gambler  and 
libertine,  always  quarreling  and  making  trouble  in  his  neighborhood. 
The  gospel  took  hold  upon  him  and  he  became  a  changed  man. 
The  New  Year  season  came  round  and  his  wife  spoke  to  him  about 
the  usual  sacrifices.  Said  he,  "Oh,  I'm  a  Christian  now  and  so  don't 
sacrifice  this  year."  "Oh,  but  you  must,"  said  his  wife,  "if  you  don't 
some  dire  calamity  will  come  upon  us  from  the  evil  spirits."  Then 
he  said  to  her,  "What  will  you  have  me  do?  You  know  what  I  was 
before  I  became  a  Christian,  how  I  drank  and  gambled  and  failed 
to  provide  for  you  and  the  children  and  came  home  drunk  and  beat 
you  and  them  and  they  were  afraid  and  ran  from  me  in  terror,  and 
what  a  miserable  life  we  led,  and  you  know  too  how  all  this  is  changed 
since  I  became  a  Christian.  I  am  sober  and  honest  and  attending  to 
business.  We  are  getting  ahead  and  li\ang  well  and  I  love  you  and  the 
children  and  they  are  glad  to  have  me  come  home  now  and  we  have 
a  happy  home.  Shall  I  go  back  to  the  sacrifices  and  the  old  life?" 
"No,  no,"  said  she,  "don't  go  back  to  the  old  life  but  offer  the  sacri- 
fices." Then  from  a  conviction  born  of  experience  he  said,  "That  is 
impossible.     If  I  go  back  to  the  old  worship,  I  go  back  to  the  old  life. 


VISIONS  OF  THE   FOREIGN  FIELD — KOREA  53 

for  nothing,  but  my  hold  upon  Jesus  Christ  has  made  me  a  changed 
man,  and  if  I  go  back  to  the  worship  of  the  evil  spirits  nothing  can 
keep  me  from  going  back  to  the  old  life."  To-day  that  man's  wife 
and  children  and  many  of  his  relatives  are  Christians,  he  is  one  of 
the  most  respected  men  in  the  city,  a  deacon  in  the  church  and  the 
leader  and  teacher  of  a  group  of  Christians  across  the  river  where 
he  has  his  summer  home  and  a  large  farm.  He  is  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est men  also,  for  thirteen  years  of  application  to  business  has  enabled 
him  to  amass  a  fortune,  and  he  is  one  of  the  most  liberal  contributors 
to  every  good  cause.  Not  only  he  but  thousands  of  others  can 
testify  to  the  transforming  power  of  spiritual  truth. 

Just  as  you  and  I  are  given  strength  to  resist  temptation,  are 
bouyed  up  and  comforted  in  the  midst  of  sorrow  and  failure,  are 
inspired  and  made  glad  by  the  great  underlying  fundamental  spiritual 
truths  of  God's  word,  so  these  people  have  been  laid  hold  upon  by 
the  truth  of  God's  love.  Salvation  from  sin  through  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Comfort  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Hope  of  the  Resurrection  and  of 
Eternal  Life  and  have  been  filled  with  a  gladness  and  joy  and  hope, 
a  new  incentive  in  life  which  gives  them  power  and  causes  them  to 
value  the  spiritual  blessings  of  Christianity.  They  do  not  propose 
to  give  up  this  new  found  joy  and  this  new  life  but  they  rather  will 
give  up  property  and  friends,  liberty  and  even  life  itself,  and  they 
show  a  steadfastness  and  a  willingness  to  make  sacrifices  for  Christ 
which  are  a  joy  to  us  who  labor  among  them. 

Among  the  early  converts  in  North  Korea  was  a  young  man 
named  Han,  who  showed  such  zeal  in  telling  the  gospel  story  to  others 
that  I  selected  him  as  the  one  to  assist  in  the  opening  of  the  station 
at  Pyeng  Yang.  When  he  bought  property  there  in  which  to  live 
and  to  entertain  me  in  the  opening  of  work,  the  Governor  had  him 
arrested  in  the  determination  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  Christianity 
and  the  then  hated  Westerner.  Brought  before  the  Governor,  young 
Han  was  ordered  to  curse  God,  but  refused.  He  was  thrown  into 
prison.  After  another  refusal  to  curse  God  he  was  put  in  the  stocks 
and  tortured.  Time  and  again  he  was  offered  liberty  if  he  would 
curse  God,  but  steadfastly  refused  and  went  back  to  prison  and 
the  stocks.  Finally  the  Governor  put  him  to  the  supreme  test. 
Made  to  kneel  before  him,  he  was  told  to  curse  God  and  go  free,  or, 
refuse  and  go  out  to  execution.  Again  he  refused  and  was  led  out 
into  the  courtyard.  There  stood  the  executioner  with  the  great  knife, 
there  was  the  block  and  around  stood  the  servants  ready  to  utter 
those  blood  curdling  yells  which  accompany  a  beating  or  an  execu- 
tion. One  more  chance  to  go  free,  but,  thank  God!  although  he 
expected  the  next  instant  to  be  beheaded,  grace  and  grit  were  given 
him  to  refuse.  He  was  released  but,  so  far  as  the  test  was  concerned, 
that  young  man  gave  his  life  for  Jesus  Christ. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  with  such  a  testimony,  he  has  been  used  of 
God  as  a  great  power  in  that  city  and  the  surrounding  country? 


54  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

East  of  Pyeng  Yang  he  has  established  seven  churches  and  to-day 
is  the  Leader  and  ordained  Elder  of  a  congregation  of  300  people, 
over  whom  we  hope  to  see  him  ordained  the  pastor  next  year. 

Hundreds  of  cases  of  persecution,  of  beatings,  of  loss  of  property, 
of  false  imprisonment,  of  torture  and  of  every  kind  of  test  might  be 
related,  but  when  once  they  have  truly  laid  hold  upon  Jesus  Christ 
and  experienced  the  spiritual  blessings  which  they  value  above  life 
or  property,  they  v^U  not  give  up. 

This  it  is  which  makes  the  Korean  church  so  largely  a  self-support- 
ing church.  They  value  it  to  the  point  of  being  willing  and  glad  to 
contribute  for  its  support  and  its  extension.  They  build  their  own 
churches  and  of  over  600  church  buildings  probably  not  more  than 
20  have  received  any  aid  from  America.  In  the  last  ten  years,  the 
Korean  Christians  have  built  over  600  church  buildings  with  their 
own  money.  They  support  their  own  evangelists,  establish  their 
own  primary  schools  and  employ  the  teachers  and  through  their  own 
Mission  Committee  are  sending  Korean  missionaries  to  the  imevange- 
lized  parts  of  their  ov^ti  land.  On  one  of  Mr.  Lee's  circuits  the  men 
raised  the  money  for  such  a  missionary  by  denying  themselves  (at 
their  own  suggestion)  the  use  of  tobacco,  and,  a  letter  recently  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  McCune  says  that  this  year  this  society  of  over  ico 
men  has  enough  money  from  their  renunciation  of  tobacco,  to  enable 
them  to  send  out  two  missionaries. 

With  such  an  appreciation  of  spiritual  truth  it  is  not  surprising 
to  find  these  new  believers  marked  by  a  Great  Evangelistic  Zeal. 
They  have  a  message,  and  they  know  it,  and  are  all  on  fire  with  a 
zeal  to  tell  the  gospel  of  salvation  to  others.  Literally  thousands  of 
men  and  women  are  giving  time  to  the  proclamation  of  the  truth 
unto  others.  The  Korean  Christians  are  doing  the  Evangelistic 
work  and  are  bringing  the  converts  to  us  faster  even  than  we  are 
able  to  instruct  and  train  and  educate  them.  They  are  doing  the 
work,  and  we  missionaries  are  now  planning,  directing  and  over- 
seeing them  and  seeking  to  develope  the  educational  system  for  the 
training  of  the  large  Christian  constituency  already  gathered. 

A  year  ago  this  month  we  planned  for  an  evangelistic  campaign 
in  Pyeng  Yang  at  the  time  of  the  Korean  New  Year  when  the  Bible 
Class  for  the  city  merchants  is  held.  In  the  morning  some  200  men 
met  for  two  hours  of  Bible  Study  and  250  women  gathered  in  the 
Central  Church  for  the  same  purpose.  In  the  afternoon  after  half 
an  hour  in  prayer  and  conference  they  went  out  two  by  two  with  the 
determined  purpose  of  visiting  every  house  in  the  city  once  each  day 
for  ten  consecutive  days  telling  the  gospel  story  and  issuing  an  invita- 
tion to  the  night  meetings.  They  did  it  and  soon  they  packed  to 
overfiomng  the  six  meeting  places  bringing  in  hundreds  who  were 
soon  ready  to  decide  for  Jesus  Christ.  The  Korean  Christians  did  the 
work  and  that  month  some  1,200  men  and  women  gave  their  names 
as  those  who  had  decided  to  accept  Christ  as  Savior  and  Lord. 


VISIONS  OF   THE   FOREIGN   FIELD — KOREA  55 

Through  the  efforts  of  Koreans  we  are  reaching  all  classes. 
Thirteen  years  ago  there  went  through  Pyeng  Yang  into  exile  a 
scholar  and  statesman  from  the  Capital.  He  called  upon  me  and  I 
told  him  of  Jesus  Christ,  gave  him  a  New  Testament  and  asked  him 
to  read  it  while  in  exile.  I  heard  nothing  of  him  for  ten  years  but 
three  years  ago  while  sitting  in  Dr.  Gale's  study  in  Seoul,  a  man 
came  in  who  was  evidently  rejoiced  to  see  me  altho  I  did  not  recog- 
nize him.  He  told  me  his  story.  Said  he,  "Ten  years  ago  as  I  went 
through  Pyeng  Yang  into  exile  you  gave  me  this  New  Testament 
(holding  up  an  old  worn  copy)  and  told  me  to  read  it.  I  was  in 
exile  three  years  and  was  then  recalled  to  the  capital  and  imprisoned 
for  seven  years.  I  read  and  re-read  this  Testament.  This  last 
spring  I  was  released  and  have  come  out  a  Christian  man  and  am  at 
work  for  the  Master."  Afterwards  Dr.  Gale  told  me  of  how  this 
man  was  working  among  his  former  companions  in  political  life  and 
of  how  he  had  gone  to  his  former  home  in  Choong  Chong  Province 
where  so  many  of  the  statesmen  and  scholars  live  and  had  told  them 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Some  400  of  them  united  in  a  request  to  Dr.  Gale 
to  come  down  and  teach  them  the  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament 
which  they  were  reading  and  he  went  down  to  find  these  men  formerly 
so  set  against  Christianity  now  ready  to  sit  at  his  feet  and  learn  of 
him  concerning  Jesus  Christ  and  His  truth.  It  was  my  privilege  to 
preach  in  Dr.  Gale's  church  just  before  leaving  Korea.  In  the  con- 
gregation were  eminent  statesmen  and  scholars  and  in  front 
of  me  sat  a  cousin  of  the  Emperor  and  a  nephew  of  the  Emperor, 
while  at  my  left  behind  the  curtain  which  separates  the  women  from 
the  men  sat  a  Princess  from  the  Palace.  From  the  lowest  to  the 
highest  in  the  land,  from  the  illiterate  peasant  to  the  highest  scholars 
and  statesmen  and  to  royalty  itself  is  the  gospel  proving  its  power  to 
save  and  to  transform  life  and  character. 

Recently  a  new  form  of  Christian  activity  has  arisen  in  Korea. 
In  one  of  the  country  churches  the  people  were  led  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  to  take  up  an  offering  of  so  many  days  of  preaching.  One  man 
subscribed  three  days,  another  seven  days,  one  of  the  women  five  days, 
another  ten  days,  and  so  on.  Then  in  accordance  with  their  sub- 
scription they  spent  the  number  of  days  in  going  about  the  surround- 
ing villages  from  house  to  house  telling  the  gospel  story  of  salvation 
and  joy  and  hope  through  Jesus  Christ.  Then  a  report  of  the  results 
of  this  work  was  made  to  the  officers  and  in  this  country  church  I 
listened  with  a  rare  joy  to  the  Leader  reading  a  tabulated  report  of 
this  work  and  its  results.  This  idea  then  began  to  spread  through 
the  churches  and  at  one  of  the  Bible  Classes  in  the  north  the  men 
subscribed  2,200  days  of  preaching  and  then  went  about  from  village 
to  village  with  enthusiastic  zeal  proclaiming  the  good  news  of  great 
joy.  After  such  work  is  it  any  wonder  that  Mr.  Keams  in  that 
Northern  work  reported  the  reception  of  over  2,000  catechumens  and 
during  the  last  year  had  the  unique  privilege  of  baptizing  1,164  men 


56  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

and  women,  receiving  them  into  the  church?  In  the  Fiisan  Station 
a  class  of  35  men  subscribed  over  900  days  of  preaching  and  so 
North  and  South  and  all  through  the  land  the  whole  church  is  all 
on  fire  with  this  evangelistic  zeal  and  is  going  forth  and  sending  forth 
into  all  the  unevangelized  regions  with  this  a^'owed  determination, 
namely  to  take  to  all  the  people  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  to 
accomplish  the  evangelization  of  Korea  within  a  very  few  years. 

I  listened  to  Elder  Kil,  the  most  eloquent  man  in  Korea,  as  he 
preached  over  a  year  ago  in  the  Central  Church  in  Pyeng  Yang,  and 
as  he  swayed  them  with  his  eloquence  and  spiritual  power  I  heard 
him  say,  "May  we  soon  carry  the  gospel  to  all  parts  of  our  own  land 
and  then  may  it  be  granted  to  us  to  do  for  some  other  people  still  in 
darkness  what  the  American  Christians  have  done  for  us,  send  mis- 
sionaries to  some  other  nation  to  tell  them  the  way  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ."  Then  as  he  held  up  before  them  the  idea 
that  they  should  plan  to  send  missionaries  into  China  to  the  millions 
still  in  darkness  in  that  great  nation,  there  arose  a  great  joy  and  an 
inspiration  in  my  heart  as  I  realized  that  the  Spirit  of  God  Himself 
had  suggested  to  the  Korean  Leaders  of  the  church  what  now  it  seems 
to  me  is  the  purpose  of  God  in  thus  so  mightily  pouring  forth  His 
Spirit  upon  the  Church  in  Korea  and  raising  up  this  body  of  Chris- 
tians so  powerful  in  prayer  and  so  zealous  for  the  proclamation  of 
the  truth.  Is  it  not  God's  purpose  to  make  little  Korea  a  spiritual 
factor  in  the  evangelization  of  China? 

Let  the  church  of  God  equip  its  missionaries  with  the  facilities 
for  the  education  and  training  of  this  Korean  Church  and  we  believe 
that  Korea,  the  last  nation  to  receive  the  gospel  bids  fair  to  be  the 
first  to  be  evangelized.  It  is  your  privilege  to  have  a  share  in  the 
accomplishment  of  the  evangelization  of  Korea,  but  friends  I  verily 
believe  that  if  you  do  not  enter  into  this  privilege  the  Korean  church 
itself  will  go  ahead  in  its  determination  to  accomplish  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  whole  nation  and  will  do  it  without  you. 


X 

VISIONS   OF  THE   FOREIGN   FIELD— PERSIA 

BY  REV.  S.  M.  JORDAN 

There  is  only  one  religion  in  this  world  which  has  ever  dared  set 
itself  up  in  comparsion  with  Christianity, — only  one  which  imagines 
itself  to  be  an  improvement  upon  Christianity, — only  one  which  to-day 
considers  itself  the  rival  and  opponent  of  Christianity  and  is  competing 
with  it  for  the  domination  of  the  world — Islam,  proclauned  by  the 
prophet  of  Arabia,  Mohammed,  in  the  year  622  of  our  era. 

Mohammed  came  preaching,  "I  preach  unto  you  no  new  religion. 
The  one  true,  the  one  supreme,  the  one  universal  religion  which  has 
been  in  the  world  since  the  world  began,  which  God  delivered  to 
Adam  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  for  which  Abraham  forsook  country 
and  kindred,  which  Moses  enacted  in  the  Law,  of  which  David  sang 
and  the  prophets  prophesied,  which  Jesus  Christ  and  His  apostles 
preached,  that  one  true,  supreme,  and  universal  religion  in  its  final 
and  perfect  form  I  proclaim  to  you.  I,  Mohammed,  am  the  last  and 
greatest  of  the  124,000  true  prophets  who  have  come  with  a  message 
from  God.  My  religion,  Islam,  is  such  a  perfect  rule  for  the  faith 
and  practice  of  men  that  Christianity  which  succeeded  Judaism  as 
the  one  true  religion  is  now  by  it  succeeded,  abrogated  and  cast  aside 
and  is  no  more  true  forever.  My  book,  the  Koran,  is  such  an  all- 
sufficient  revelation  of  God's  will  that  the  Law  of  Moses  and  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  true  word  of  God  though  they  be,  are  no  longer 
needed  for  the  instruction  of  men,  but  have  become  null  and  void 
forevermore.  My  book,  the  Koran,  has  taken  the  place  of  the  Bible, 
my  religion,  Islam,  has  taken  the  place  of  Christianity,  and  I,  Mo- 
hammed, have  taken  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  last  and  greatest 
of  the  Prophets." 

It  is  obvious  that  any  religion  making  such  claims  for  itself  must 
be  a  missionary  religion,  and  so  Islam  has  been  throughout  the 
thirteen  centuries  of  its  existence.  How  successful  it  has  been  is 
proven  by  the  230,000,000  who  to-day  confess  as  their  creed,  "Allah 
is  God  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet."  We  speak  of  them  to-day 
as  the  Mohammedan  world,  and  we  do  well,  for  they  constitute  a 
veritable  world  stretching  across  the  whole  of  northern  Africa,  Arabia, 
Persia,  Asia  Minor,  and  Turkey  in  Europe,  Turkestan,  Afghanistan, 
and  on  into  the  Chinese  Empire,  down  across  India  and  the  Malay 
Peninsula  and  out  into  the  islands  of  the  sea,  Borneo,  Java  and 
Sumatra.  In  India  alone  there  are  67,000,000  Mohammedans.  In 
China  30,000,000,  while  in  the  Philippines  we  have  to-day  300,000 

57 


58  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

fellow  citizens  who  hold  the  faith  of  the  prophet  of  Arabia.  And 
still  the  work  goes  on.  Down  into  Africa  and  the  islands  of  the  sea 
their  missionaries  are  going  and  heathen  are  being  won  by  hundreds 
of  thousands  and  by  millions. 

The  church  has  just  begun  to  wake  up  to  the  fact  that  if  we 
would  win  the  world  to  Christ,  the  Mohammedan  world  is  the  key 
to  the  situation.  We  must  go  to  them  not  as  in  the  crusades  with 
sword  and  spear  and  mailed  knight  on  prancing  war  horse,  but  with 
the  love  of  God  in  our  hearts  and  the  word  of  God  in  our  hands. 
And  we  shall  be  successful,  for  the  souls  of  Mohammedans  too,  were 
created  for  God,  and  they  can  never  find  rest  and  joy  and  peace  till 
they  have  come  to  Him  through  Him  who  said,  "I  am  the  way,  and 
no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me." 

If  you  will  look  at  a  map  of  the  Mohammedan  world  you  will  see 
that  Persia  occupies  the  position  of  keystone,  and  strategically  I 
believe  it  is  the  key  to  the  Mohammedan  problem.  We  have  gone 
to  Persia,  one  of  the  two  great  Mohammedan  countries,  and  through 
our  hospitals  and  schools  we  are  finding  the  key  to  the  situation. 

Persia  is  a  country  in  which  we  ought  to  be  interested  for  many 
reasons.  It  is  the  old  homeland  from  which  our  Caucasian  fore- 
fathers some  thousands  of  years  ago  started  out  to  conquer  the  world, 
and  back  in  that  old  homeland  there  are  living  to-day  some  ten 
millions  of  our  blood  relations.  More  than  any  other  foreign  country 
has  it  played  a  noble  part  in  the  history  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It 
was  there  that  Daniel  and  Mordecai  were  Prime  Ministers  and 
Esther  Queen.  It  was  Cyrus,  King  of  Persia,  who  sent  back  the 
Children  of  Israel  to  the  Holy  Land,  restored  the  vessels  of  silver  and 
gold  and  issued  the  edict  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple,  and  so 
prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  king,  for  humanly  speaking,  if  Cyrus 
had  not  performed  this  service  there  would  have  been  no  place  in 
this  world  where  Christ  could  have  been  born.  As  Presbyterians, 
Persia  should  be  especially  interesting  to  us  for  ours  is  the  only 
American  Missionary  Society  at  work  in  that  land.  The  Church 
Missionary  Society  of  England  occupies  the  southern  half  with  about 
3,000,000  people,  and  we  the  northern  half  with  7,000,000.  We  have 
staked  off  the  land  and  given  notice  to  the  world  that  we  expect  to 
evangelize  that  northern  half  of  Persia.  Therefore  we,  the  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  America,  are  responsible  to  the  world 
and  to  God,  to  give  the  gospel  to  them,  for  those  seven  millions  other 
sheep  that  are  not  yet  of  this  fold  will  never  hear  the  voice  oi"  the 
Good  Shepherd  and  follow  Him  except  as  they  hear  that  voice 
through  you  and  me,  Plis  disciples,  to  whom  that  task  has  been 
allotted. 

What  is  the  extent  and  need  of  the  field?  And  what  have  we 
done  to  supply  that  need  ?  The  field  is  one  thousand  miles  in  length 
and  from  three  to  four  hundred  miles  in  breadth.  The  population 
is  about  seven  million. 


VISIONS  OF   THE   FOREIGN  FIELD — PERSIA  59 

The  responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  people  within 
America  cannot  be  reckoned  at  more  than  four  to  five  millions,  and 
to  evangelize  these  we  have  about  seven  thousand  ministers  of  the 
gospel.  For  the  seven  millions  for  which  we  arc  responsible  in  Persia 
we  have  sixteen  ordained  missionaries  (the  whole  number  is  about 
fifty).  Of  these  sixteen,  five  are  superintendents  of  schools  and  give 
most  of  their  strength  to  educational  work.  A  considerable  portion 
of  the  time  of  an  equal  number  is  taken  up  with  accounts,  repairs  on 
buildings,  and  other  routine  work.  Does  it  not  seem  to  you  that  we 
have  more  than  our  share  in  Persia?  Seven  thousand  ministers  to 
four  million  in  America,  sixteen  ordained  men  for  the  seven  million 
in  Persia ! 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you  of  all  the  length  and  breadth  and 
height  and  depth  of  the  work  we  are  doing  in  Persia,  but  that  would 
require  twenty-five  days  instead  of  twenty-five  minutes.  We  have 
occupied  six  of  the  principal  cities.  We  have  opened  hospitals  and 
schools  and  churches,  but  the  great  mass  of  the  people  are  still  un- 
touched. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  speak  at  length  of  the  medical  work  with  our 
hospitals  in  Teheran,  Urumia,  Tabriz  and  Hamadan;  that  magnifi- 
cent medical  work  which  has  been  a  golden  key  to  open  doors  of 
fanaticism,  bigotry  and  opposition.  It  has  been  a  living  epistle 
known  and  read  of  men,  a  practical  example  of  what  Christianity  is 
and  what  Christians  believe  in.  Through  it  and  our  schools  we 
have  come  into  sympathetic  contact  with  the  people  of  Persia,  from 
the  Shah  upon  the  throne  to  the  beggar  in  the  street.  I  say  advisedly, 
the  Shah  upon  his  throne,  for  one  of  our  physicians.  Dr.  Holmes,  was 
for  years  the  family  physician  of  the  late  Shah  when  he  was  Crown 
Prince,  and  he  might  have  continued  in  that  position  unto  the  day  of 
the  Shah's  death  if  he  had  not  rather  preferred  to  continue  to  be  the 
ambassador  of  the  King  of  kings  to  the  people  of  Persia  rather  than 
the  private  physician  of  him  who  sat  upon  the  Peacock  Throne  in 
Teheran.  I  remember  two  years  ago,  how  the  present  Shah  then 
acting  as  regent  during  the  absence  of  his  father  in  Europe,  one  day 
accidentally  wounded  one  of  his  personal  attendants  as  he  was  ex- 
amining some  new  fire  arms.  Although  he  had  a  French  doctor  in 
his  employ  as  his  family  physician,  he  sent  across  the  country  to 
where  the  missionary  physician  was  spending  the  summer  and 
requested  him  to  take  charge  of  the  case,  for  he  knew  that  he  was 
the  best  surgeon  in  Teheran,  and  in  the  following  days  he  regularly 
sent  his  fine  equipage  across  the  country  to  the  home  of  Dr.  Wishard 
to  take  him  to  the  palace  that  he  might  look  after  the  welfare  of  the 
wound. 

They  have  seen  the  lame  carried  into  our  hospitals  and  go  out 
walking.  They  have  seen  the  blind  led  in  and  go  out  seeing.  In 
times  of  pestilence  when  native  physicians  were  fleeing  in  terror  from 
cholera  stricken  cities,  they  have  seen  the  missionaries  opening  dis- 


6o  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

pensaries  and  emergency  hospitals,  dispensing  medicines  and  going 
from  house  to  house  to  treat  tlie  sick  and  thus  staying  the  scourge. 
They  have  come  to  believe  in  us  as  men  who  are  in  Persia  for  no 
selfish  reasons,  no  personal  profit,  no  self-aggrandizement,  but  who 
are  sincere  seekers  of  the  welfare  of  Persia  and  sincere  servants  of 
God.  Therefore  there  has  been  accorded  to  us  such  a  standing  in 
Persia  as  has  been  obtained  by  very  few  missionaries  in  the  world. 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you  of  the  evangelistic  work;  how  some 
of  our  missionaries  and  native  helpers  are  going  from  village  to  village 
as  Christ  and  His  apostles  went,  and  as  the  people  gather  round  they 
are  preaching  to  them  what  we  call  the  "Old,  old  story"  here;  but  to 
them,  it  is  a  new  story  for  they  have  never  heard  it  before.  Colpor- 
teurs are  being  sent  forth  and  the  word  of  God  is  being  bought  and 
read  and  i1^  is  proving  as  it  always  proves,  a  light  unto  the  path  and 
a  lamp  unto  the  feet  of  all  who  read  it.  It  is  working  as  a  mighty 
leaven  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  one  of  the  ele- 
ments that  has  brought  on  this  liberal  movement  of  which  we  now 
hear  on  every  side,  the  proclamation  of  the  new  constitution  and  the 
assembling  of  the  first  legislative  assembly  that  has  ever  convened 
in  the  land  of  the  Medes  and  Persians. 

When  my  wife  and  I  had  been  in  Persia  about  two  years  a  party 
of  us  started  out  on  one  of  these  evangelistic  tours.  One  day  leaving 
my  wife  and  the  lady  physician  behind,  we  two  men  started  off  for 
a  village  which  lies  some  miles  up  a  mountain  stream,  in  the  heart  of 
the  Elborz  mountains.  The  road  lay  along  the  bank  of  this  stream, 
or  rather  in  its  bed,  and  we  were  continually  crossing  from  side  to  side. 
Once  I  counted  the  number  of  times  we  crossed  and  it  was  just  thirty 
times  in  a  single  hour.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived  in  the  village. 
As  we  rode  along  the  streets  of  the  village,  the  men  returning  from 
the  orchards  which  surrounded  it,  called  out,  "What  is  your  business, 
Sahib?"  and  we  replied,  "We  are  guides  to  the  hereafter.  If  anyone 
is  a  seeker  of  heaven,  let  him  come  and  we  will  tell  him  the  way." 
And  they  came  in  crowds.  We  camped  that  night  on  a  porch  in  the 
yard  in  which  we  picketed  our  animals.  I  threw  a  piece  of  carpet 
on  the  ground  and  several  of  us  sat  on  it  and  began  to  read  to  them 
from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Oh,  how  they  listened  to  those  words 
so  wondcrously  sweet  to  their  ears.  Strong,  stalwart  men  in  their 
picturesque  oriental  clothes,  dark  blues,  and  reds,  and  greens.  The 
thought  came  to  me  that  it  must  have  been  such  scenes  as  these  that , 
Christ  and  His  disciples  witnessed  as  they  preached  among  the  vil- 
lages of  Galilee.  We  turned  over  and  read  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal 
Son.  I  told  them  how  we,  like  the  younger  son,  have  forsaken  the 
Father's  house.  We  have  wandered  far  into  the  deserts  of  sin.  We 
have  tried  to  satisfy  ourselves  with  the  husks  which  tliis  world  can 
give,  and  we  have  found  it  all  to  be  a  miserable  failure.  But  in  the 
Father's  house  there  is  fullness  and  plenty,  there  is  rest  and  peace 
and  joy  forevermore.     There  is  welcome  for  the  son,  for  the  Father's 


VISIONS   OF    THE    FOREIGN  FIELD — PERSIA  6 1 

heart  is  full  of  love  and  the  Father's  eyes  are  on  the  road  hoping  that 
His  children  may  return  that  each  one  may  come  to  himself  and  say, 
"I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father."  It  grew  late.  Torches  were 
lighted  and  yet  they  lingered  with  their  dark  earnest  faces  peering 
out  of  the  surrounding  gloom. 

Up  to  that  time  whenever  I  preached  in  the  Persian,  I  was  always 
remembering  that  I  was  speaking  in  a  foreign  tongue  and  was  thinking 
about  the  words.  That  night  I  did  not  think  once  of  the  words  I 
was  using.  I  thought  only  of  God's  wonderful  love  and  the  awful 
need  of  the  souls  of  those  men. 

In  the  morning  as  we  were  going  down  from  the  mountains  and 
out  across  the  plain,  there  was  a  young  mollah  (priest)  trudging  along 
through  the  desert.  He  called  out  to  me,  "What  is  your  business. 
Sahib?"  I  replied,  "We  are  travelers  passing  this  way,"  and  he 
called  back,  'T  hear  you  are  calling  men.  Sahib."  How  my  heart 
thrilled  as  he  used  the  very  word  that  is  used  of  Christ  as  He  called 
the  fishers  from  their  nets  by  the  sea  to  make  them  fishers  of  men 
and  I  replied,  "Yes,  that  is  our  business,  we  have  come  out  to  call 
men."  "Won't  you  please  call  me?"  came  his  voice  again.  "\Vhy, 
of  course  I'll  call  you,"  I  replied,  and  opening  my  Persian  New 
Testament  (which  I  always  have  ready  at  hand)  at  the  first  chapter 
of  Mark,  I  read  to  him  how  Jesus  came  preaching,  "The  kingdom 
of  God  is  at  hand.  Repent  and  believe  the  gospel."  This  is  the  call 
He  has  left  for  all  men.  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are 
heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  "I  am  the  way  and  no  man 
cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  A  few  minutes  we  walked  along 
side  by  side  and  then  we  separated  and  I  have  never  seen  him  since, 
but  I  trust  that  the  word  sown  by  the  wayside  will  not  return  unto 
Him  void,  for  it  is  His  word  and  He  has  promised  that  it  shall 
accomplish  that  unto  which  He  Himself  has  sent  it. 

Christ  came  that  we  might  have  life  and  have  it  more  abundantly. 
This  is  the  keynote  of  Christianity.  This  is  the  message  we  carry  to 
China,  Korea,  and  Persia  to-day.  Often  in  memory  do  I  see  that 
desert  road  and  the  young  mollah  walking  there.  I  hear  again  his 
manly  voice  as  it  rings  out  clear,  "Won't  you  please  call  me?"  and 
again  in  vision  I  see  that  mollah,  but  not  alone.  With  him  I  see  ten 
millions  of  Persia  who  have  not  known  life,  and  his  call  is  the  cry  of 
the  need  of  that  vast  throng,  "Won't  you  please  call  me?"  Brother 
Christians,  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  shall  we  not  respond  to 
the  call  voiced  by  that  young  mollah  and  call  those  seven  millions  for 
whom  we  are  responsible?  Speaking  for  each  one  of  them  to  you, 
I  bring  his  cry,  "Won't  you  please  call  me?" 


XI 

THE  DISTINCT  FOREIGN  MISSION  RESPONSIBILITY  OF 
THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 

BY  MR.  ROBERT  E.  SPEER 

This  subject  which  has  been  assigned  to  me  is  the  title  of  a  paper 
which  was  sent  last  summer  by  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  all 
the  Missions  of  our  church  in  foreign  lands.  It  had  been  felt  for 
sometime  by  the  men  who  had  been  made  chiefly  responsible  for  the 
awakening  and  direction  of  the  missionary  interests  of  the  church, 
that  the  time  had  come  at  last  for  the  church  to  estimate  her  exact 
missionary  duty.  They  were  convinced  that  it  was  not  possible  to 
awaken  and  attach  definite  energies  to  an  indefinite  task,  and  that 
if  the  work  before  the  church  ever  was  to  be  done,  the  church  must 
set  clearly  before  herself  the  nature  and  extent  of  her  responsibility 
in  order  that  she  might  set  about  providing  those  resources  by  which 
that  responsibility  might  be  discharged. 

This  paper  was  an  outgrowth  of  that  feeling.  It  was  an  attempt 
to  state  the  distinct  missionary  responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  with  a  view  to  drawing  out  from  the  various  missions  primarily 
responsible  for  carrying  on  the  work,  an  expression  of  their  judgment 
with  any  corrections  or  suggestions  that  they  might  feel  led  to  make, 
with  the  purpose  then  of  securing  the  thorough  approval  of  the  Board 
and  then  laying  the  whole  project  as  a  great  missionary  program 
before  the  coming  General  Assembly  in  May  of  this  year. 

The  paper  was  sent  out  last  July.  It  came  under  the  considera- 
tion of  most  of  the  Missions  at  their  annual  meetings  last  fall,  and 
those  Missions  have  been  sending  in  their  replies.  The  replies  are 
not  yet  all  received.  Some  missions  have  not  yet  considered  the 
question.  The  replies  that  have  been  received  have  not  as  yet  been 
submitted  to  the  Board,  and  it  has  been  a  question  whether  the 
Board  would  be  prepared  to  lay  any  carefully  digested  and  formulated 
program  before  the  coming  General  Assembly. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts  it  might  seem  to  some  premature  to 
raise  this  issue  at  this  time.  If  the  responsible  missionary  agency  of 
the  church  is  not  as  yet  prepared  to  speak  on  this  question;  if  it  has 
not  yet  been  laid  before  the  authoritative  Assembly  of  the  church, 
are  we  not  acting  a  little  prematurely  here  to-day  in  taking  it  up  our- 
selves in  conference?  I  think  not.  For  after  all  the  question  that 
is  at  issue  is  not  the  judgment  of  the  Missions  as  to  whether  we  ought 
now  to  undertake  the  evangelization  of  the  w^orld  with  the  expec- 

62 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  63 

tation  of  accomplishing  it.  It  is  not  whether  the  Missions  believe 
that  given  enough  men  and  money  they  could  now  carry  out  such  a 
program.  It  is  not  as  to  whether  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  is 
prepared  to  go  forward  to  enter  open  doors,  to  reach  those  for  whom 
the  Savior  died,  and  to  obey  the  last  command  of  Christ. 

The  one  vital  question  is  as  to  whether  the  church  herself,  repre- 
sented in  just  such  spontaneous  gatherings  as  this  here  this  morning 
is  prepared  to  supply  the  men  and  the  money  without  which  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  in  our  generation,  or  in  any  generation, 
cannot  be  effected,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  enabled  "to  see  of  the 
travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied."  And  perhaps  the  best  thing 
that  could  be  done  in  preparation  for  an  action  that  the  General 
Assembly  may  be  called  upon  to  take,  would  be  for  the  men  of  the 
church  or  any  such  large  and  representative  gathering  of  the  men  of 
the  church,  such  as  this  assembled  in  this  convention,  to  confront 
this  problem  for  themselves,  and  to  decide  whether  they  and  the 
forces  which  they  represent  are  ready  to  respond  now  to  the  call  of 
Christ,  and  to  undertake  a  scheme  contemplating  the  actual  evangeli- 
zation of  the  world.  If  here  in  a  gathering  like  this  we  cannot  come 
to  some  unity  of  mind;  if  here  in  a  gathering  like  this  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  cannot  so  lay  hold  upon  the  lives  of  men  as  to  draw  some  of 
of  them  to  make  this  thing  henceforth  the  first  business  of  their  lives, 
what  could  we  hope  for  from  any  academic  discussion  of  it  in  any 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly. 

But  it  may  be  that  some  one  is  asking  the  question,  as  I  have 
heard  the  question  asked,  whether  after  all  the  whole  proposition 
is  not  chimerical?  Whether  the  missionary  enterprise  can  be  thus 
handled  and  any  body  of  Christian  people  arrive  at  any  determination 
of  their  specific  and  distinct  missionary  duty. 

Now,  gentlemen,  the  conscience  of  the  church  ever  since  the  dawn 
of  the  modem  missionary  era  has  not  been  content  under  those  views 
of  the  missionary  movement,  which  have  perhaps  hitherto  been  the 
only  possible  views  for  it.  Earnest  Christian  men  have  felt  from 
the  very  beginning  that  if  this  thing  is  ever  to  be  done  it  can  only  be 
done  in  the  same  systematic  and  practical  way  in  which  men  set 
about  any  other  great,  definite  and  specific  achievement.  And  that 
if  the  church  is  ever  to  evangelize  the  world  it  can  only  be  when  the 
church  has  sat  down  deliberately  in  front  of  this  problem,  defined  its 
problem  for  itself,  estimated  the  amount  of  energy  necessary  for  the 
fulfillment  of  its  task,  and  then  correlated  those  forces  and  that 
problem,  and  gone  out  deliberately  to  achieve  what  we  may  be  sure 
never  lay  in  the  mind  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  an  indefinite  or  a 
chimerical  scheme.  So  long  ago  as  1846  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  which  then  represented  also 
one  section  of  our  own  church,  as  well  as  the  Congregational  churches, 
and  some  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  churches,  at  its  annual  meeting 
at  Hartford,  passed  this  resolution: 


64  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

"That  in  viev/  of  the  signs  of  the  times,  and  the  promises  of  God, 
the  day  has  arrived  to  undertake  a  scheme  of  operations  looking 
toward  the  evangeHzation  of  the  world,  based  upon  the  expectation 
of  its  speedy  accomplishment." 

Well,  the  resolution  was  premature,  but  it  was  an  expression  of 
that  Christian  conscience  of  which  I  have  spoken  w^hich  was  unwilling 
to  be  content  merely  to  go  along  miscellaneously  in  a  great  scheme 
which  contemplated  a  specific  end  without  the  church's  having  decided 
for  itself  specifically  what  its  share  of  responsibility  was.  And  for 
a  generation  now  the  great  Missionary  Councils  on  the  field  have 
been  feeling  after  precisely  this  thing.  So  long  ago  as  the  first  great 
conference  of  the  missionaries  in  China,  held  in  Shanghai  about  a 
generation  since,  such  a  statement  as  this  was  formally  adopted  by 
that  great  conference:  "We  want  China  emancipated  f rom "  the 
thralldom  of  sin  in  this  generation.  Our  Lord  has  said,  'According 
to  your  faith  be  it  unto  you.'  The  Church  of  God  can  do  it  if  she 
be  only  faithful  to  her  Great  Commission."  And  only  three  years 
ago  in  preparation  for  the  Centennial  Anniversary  of  the  establish- 
ment of  Protestant  Missions  in  China,  there  was  issued  a  statement 
by  the  committee  in  China,  of  which  Dr.  Grifiith  John  was  acting 
as  chairman,  calhng  for  a  three  years'  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the 
churches  looking  toward  the  location  in  China  before  the  Centennial 
Anniversary  of  Protestant  Missions  there,  of  a  vastly  enlarged  mission 
force.  I  have  here  also  a  statement  sent  out  by  the  Madras  Mission- 
ary Conference  in  1902,  the  most  representative  missionary  gathering 
ever  assembled  in  India,  in  wJiich  it  called  for  9,000  additional  mission- 
aries, in  which  in  the  most  brave  and  sober  and  intelligent  way  it 
faced  the  exact  nature  of  its  problem  and  still  contended  that  it 
believed  it  was  possible  to  evangelize  the  nearly  three  hundred  millions 
of  people  in  India  within  the  period  of  one  generation. 

And  it  is  not  only  the  great  bodies  of  missionaries  that  have  begun 
to  feel,  like  these  bodies  of  missionaries  in  China  and  Japan,  that  the 
day  has  at  last  arrived  for  us  to  block  out  this  project,  but  our  own 
individual  missions  have  come  at  last  to  feel  the  same  thing.  Now 
the  assumption  of  responsibility  grows  difficult  just  as  the  assuming 
body  grows  small  and  definitely  liable.  It  is  a  ver}''  easy  matter  for 
a  great  body  of  men  to  assume  responsibility  which  they  know  they 
have  no  competent  power  to  carry  out,  and  where  each  individual 
relieves  himself  from  his  measure  of  responsibility  by  hiding  it  behind 
the  ineftective  responsibility  of  the  mass.  But  you  bring  it  down 
to  one  individual,  and  you  get  an  individual  man  to  sign  a  judgment 
note  for  ten  dollars  with  a  great  deal  more  reluctance  than  you  will 
get  a  General  Assembly  to  pass  a  resolution  approving  the  expendi- 
ture of  a  million  dollars  in  the  Foreign  Mission  enterprise.  And 
when  you  have  brought  this  project  down  to  the  individual  Mission 
on  the  field,  and  have  got  that  individual  Mission  to  face  its  own 
specific  task,  as  Dr.  Moffctt's  mission  m  Korea  has  been  facing  it, 


RESPONSIBILITY    OF  THE   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  65 

and  then  can  say  to  the  church  at  home,  "If  you  will  give  us  so  many 
men  and  so  much  money  we  can  evangelize  this  field  in  ten,  fifteen, 
twenty-five  years,"  you  have  got  a  project  that  you  can  look  in  the 
face;  a  project  with  which  you  can  deal  in  a  rational  and  practical 
way;  a  project  at  which  you  can  set  yourself  with  an  expectation  of  its 
possible  accomplishment.  And  that  is  precisely  what  our  missions 
all  over  the  world  are  now  doing. 

I  have  here  a  representative  statement  adopted  by  our  Punjab 
Mission  in  India  three  years  ago,  before  this  agitation  had  really 
begun  in  the  church  at  home.  It  is  a  very  carefully  formulated 
statement.  Here  is  a  table  showing  the  population  of  every  district 
embraced  within  the  territory  of  that  mission,  the  number  of  villages, 
the  urban  population  and  the  country  population,  the  number  of 
towns,  the  area  in  square  miles,  the  exact  Christian  agency  operating 
in  each  one  of  these  districts,  the  precise  number  of  missionaries 
required  to  fully  man  each  one  of  these  districts  in  order  that  the 
Gospel  may  be  given  to  all  the  eight  or  nine  millions  of  people  who 
are  enumerated  here  as  constituting  the  constituency  of  this  one  Mis- 
sion of  our  church.  And  it  would  be  very  easy  to  duplicate  statements 
like  this  from  other  fields  throughout  the  missionary  world. 

Gentlemen  it  is  not  an  impossible  thing  for  us  to  sit  down  now  at 
least  and  define  for  ourselves  exactly  the  thing  that  is  to  be  done; 
how  much  of  the  responsibility  of  that  thing  rests  upon  us;  how  much 
of  that  responsibility  resting  upon  us  we  should  undertake  to  discharge 
within  the  next  five  years,  and  how  much  we  should  then  be  in  a 
position  to  discharge  for  the  five  years  immediately  following. 

Now  when  we  turn  to  answer  for  ourselves  this  question  as  to 
what  does  constitute  the  responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
there  are  grave  and  significant  questions  that  immediately  confront 
us. 

In  the  first  place  what  is  it  that  we  are  undertaking  to  do?  Now 
if  we  are  undertaking  to  persuade  all  the  people  of  the  world  to  wear 
a  certain  kind  of  clothes,  for  one  thing,  a  great  many  of  us  lose  interest 
in  that  project  immediately,  because  we  think  their  kind  has  a  great 
deal  to  be  said  in  its  favor  over  against  ours.  If  the  project  is  to 
spread  abroad  a  certain  type  of  ci\ilization,  a  great  many  of  us  lose 
interest  in  it;  we  are  not  satisfied  with  the  type  of  civilization  which  we 
have  here,  much  less  with  those  specimens  of  it  we  are  spreading  over 
the  world.  Just  exactly  what  is  it  we  are  proposing  to  do?  Before 
we  know  what  our  project  is,  we  have  got  to  define  to  ourselves  what 
the  end  is  which  we  are  contemplating.  Now  we  do  not  contemplate 
a  civilization  of  the  world,  nor  do  we  contemplate  the  conversion  of 
the  world.  For  my  part  I  believe  the  day  is  to  come  when  *'Every 
knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord." 
I  believe  the  day  will  come  when  the  Kingdom  of  God  which  is  "right- 
eousness and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,"  shall  prevail  all  over 
the  world  as  it  now  prevails  nowhere  in  the  world.     But  I  do  not 


66  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

believe  that  the  distinct  aim  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  enterprise  is 
to  accomplish  either  of  those  things,  although  I  do  believe  that  they 
can  only  be  accomplished  as  the  distinct  aim  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise is  first  of  all  carried  out. 

The  aim  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  very  simply,  is  this:  First 
of  all  to  take  this  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  ours,  who  is  life  to  us,  without 
whom  life  would  not  be  LIFE  to  us,  and  offer  Him  to  the  souls  who 
have  not  heard,  in  the  assurance,  as  He  said,  that  His  sheep  will  hear 
His  voice  and  will  follow  Him.  In  the  second  place  it  is  to  gather 
together  those  men  and  women  and  children  throughout  the  world 
who  will  respond  to  His  voice  in  little  groups  of  believers,  and  develop 
these  groups  of  believers  into  self-supporting,  self-governing,  self- 
propagating  Christian  churches.  In  the  third  place  it  is  to  cooperate 
with  those  established  and  autonomous  churches  so  long  and  so  far 
as  necessary,  until  every  soul  has  intelligently  heard  the  Gospel.  And 
fourth  it  is  to  carry  on  as  means  to  these  ends,  and  as  expressions  of 
the  Christian  spirit  which  must  be  itself  always  and  everywhere. 
Christian  agencies  and  influences  without  which  you  cannot  show 
these  child  peoples  what  Christianity  is,  and  through  which  alone 
you  can  get  Christianity  lodged  in  the  heart  of  the  world. 

Now,  that  is  simply  and  roughly  the  missionary  aim,  and  the 
problem  before  us  is,  in  how  large  a  territory  does  the  responsibility 
rest  upon  us  to  fulfill  that  aim? 

In  this  sheet  which  we  sent  out  to  all  the  Missions,  there  was  an 
attempt  to  arrive  at  the  distinct  numerical  responsibility  of  our  church 
in.  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  There'  was  a  table  set  forth 
showing  the  number  of  millions  of  people  in  the  different  fields  where 
our  church  was  engaged  in  missionary  work,  for  whose  evangelization 
we  might  he  held  accountable : — 

Mexico,  2,500,000  Siam,  Laos,  etc.,  5,000,000 

Central  America,  500,000  India,  18,000,000 

South  America,  10,000,000  Persia,  5,000,000 

Japan,  4,000,000  Turkey,  2,000,000 

Korea,  6,000,000  Africa,  5,000,000 

China,  40,000,000  Philippines,  2,000,000 

a  total  of  100,000,000.  Now  the  figures  that  I  have  given  are  just 
approximate  statements.  Mr.  Jordan  said  a  moment  ago  it  was 
seven  million  in  Persia  instead  of  five  million,  and  Dr.  JMoffett  would 
hold  us  responsible  for  a  larger  proportion  than  this  of  the  population 
of  Korea,  but  approximately  stated,  there  are  a  hundred  million  of 
our  fellow  creatures  for  whom  Jesus  Christ  died  as  much  as  He  died 
for  any  man  in  this  convention;  whom  God  loves  as  deeply  as  He  loves 
any  man  here  in  this  hall  this  morning;  whose  life  is  just  as  dark  with- 
out Jesus  Christ  as  your  life  and  mine  would  be  dark  without  Him; 
and  that  hundred  millions  are  laid  down  at  our  own  door.  It  would 
be  a  very  easy  thing  to  distribute  the  average  responsibility  for  this 


RESPONSIBILITY    OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH  67 

hundred  million.  We  have  got,  roughly,  a  million  church  members 
here  at  home.  That  means  that  each  member  of  our  church  is 
responsible  for  the  evangelization  of  a  hundred  non-Christian  people. 
I  should  like  to  lay  that  hundred  down  before  the  door  of  every  man's 
life  here  to-day.  Is  it  pure  fancy  that  one  hundred  souls  will  stand 
confronting  you  in  the  Day  of  Judgment  and  ask  of  you  why,  knowing 
that  you  were  responsible  for  that  hundred  souls,  you  withheld  from 
them  the  knowledge  of  their  only  Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ? 
Our  aim  is,  as  I  have  defined  it,  and  our  field  as  I  have  just  roughly 
outlined  it,  a  hundred  million  of  people  among  whom  we  have  to 
discharge  this  particular  task. 

Now  in  the  third  place,  how  large  a  force,  and  how  great  an  out- 
lay will  be  necessary  to  accomplish  this  result?  Well  in  this  appeal 
from  the  Punjab  Mission  it  is  stated  there  ought  to  be  two  mission- 
aries, a  man  and  a  woman,  for  every  ioo,oco  population.  In  the 
great  conference  of  all  India,  held  in  Madras,  it  was  estimated  that 
two  missionaries  should  be  provided  for  each  50,000.  Now  let  us 
accept  that  more  exacting  estimate.  I  will  go  on  and  qualify  it  later. 
But  let  us  accept  the  more  exacting  estimate,  a  man  and  a  woman  for 
every  50,000  in  our  100,000,000  of  population.  That  means  we  will 
need  two  thousand  men  and  two  thousand  women.  Now  wc  have 
got  in  the  field  already  more  than  nine  hundred  men  and  women  so 
that  we  practically  need  an  increase  of  about  3,100  more  than  we  have 
now.  We  are  already  giving  about  $1,150,000  to  the  support  of  our 
enterprise.  We  would  require  to  multiply  our  gifts  only  about  five 
fold.  With  an  ultimate  annual  contribution  from  the  church  at  home 
of  a  minimum  of  $6,000,000,  and  a  total  force  of  two  thousand  men  and 
two  thousand  women,  we  could  hope  in  our  generation  to  make  Jesus 
Christ  known  to  our  entire  field. 

Now  I  appeal  to  you  to  say  if  there  is  anything  chimerical  about 
that?  Six  million  dollars  would  only  be  an  average  of  about  five  or 
six  dollars  to  a  person  from  our  m.embers  at  home.  Do  we  believe 
that  if  our  church  members  at  home  were  animated  by  the  spirit  of 
Him,  "though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  became  poor,"  and 
though  "the  foxes  had  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  had  nests,  had 
not  where  to  lay  His  head,"  that  we  could  refuse  to  give  an  average 
of  five  dollars  per  member  to  the  work  of  the  world's  evangelization? 
Do  we  profess  for  one  moment  to  believe  that  we  could  not  provide 
two  thousand  men  and  two  thousand  women  for  the  work  of  the 
evangelization  of  the  world?  That  would  not  mean  even  that  every 
church  would  have  to  give  up  one  of  its  sons  or  one  of  its  daughters. 
If  two-thirds  of  our  organized  churches  gave  each  of  them  one  man  or 
one  woman  for  the  world's  evangelization,  and  our  church  members 
were  to  each  give  five  dollars  annually  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
world,  our  aim  would  be  accomplished. 

Now  I  am  very  well  aware  that  our  church  is  a  very  careful  church 
and  that  we  would  not  want  to  embark  on  a  project  of  this  sort  with- 


68  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

out  having  looked  it  squarely  in  the  face.  I  am  free  to  confess  that 
I  have  had  my  own  misgivings,  and  there  are  great  problems  involved 
which  do  not  appear  in  any  superficial  statement  of  this  question  of 
world  evangelization.  But  let  us  for  a  few  minutes  this  morning  as 
a  gathering  of  men,  a  council  of  v/ar,  the  men  who  have  to  do  this 
thing  if  it  is  going  to  be  done,  see  what  these  are.  Men  say,  "You 
have  not  got  your  project  sufficiently  financed  on  the  scale  on 
which  you  have  it  already  projected.  You  are  canning  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  or  more  of  deficit  on  the  last  few  years.  Why  are 
you  entering  upon  the  work  on  so  m.uch  larger  a  scale  when  you 
are  not  able  to  meet  the  obligations  already  assumed?"  Well  there 
are  two  things  to  be  said  to  that.  One  is,  it  is  a  very  just  considera- 
tion. We  had,  at  the  beginning  of  this  current  year,  a  budget  of  a 
million  and  eighty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  only  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five  thousand  of  that  amount  was  definitely  covered  by 
churches  and  individuals  as  money  for  which  they  will  be  responsible; 
so  that  the  amount  unsubscribed  for  this  current  fiscal  year  is  over  six 
himdred  thousand,  the  expenditure  of  which  has  been  authorized,  but 
not  a  dollar  of  which  has  been  guaranteed  by  the  church  in  advance. 
It  is  perfectly  true  that  the  church  ought  to  come  forv/ard  and  cover 
the  whole  existing  budget  for  assuming  liability  for  it  in  advance, 
so  that  the  Board  could  go  forward  to  plan  larger  movements  beyond. 
But  the  second  thing  is  that  the  best  way  to  get  a  man  to  discharge 
his  present  liability  which  he  is  not  discharging,  is  to  get  him  to  assume 
some  more.  One  reason  men  do  not  do  great  things  is  because  they 
do  not  set  out  to  accomplish  great  things.  The  right  way  for  us  to 
fulfill  all  our  present  responsibilities  is  to  assume  all  the  responsibili- 
ties that  we  ought  to  undertake  to  carry. 

In  the  second  place  it  is  to  be  said,  and  Dr.  Moffett  I  suppose 
would  urge  this  upon  us,  that  it  is  not  just  for  a  church  to  send  out 
nine  hundred  missionaries  without  giving  them  houses  to  live  in,  and 
then  send  out  thirty-one  hundred  more  before  the  first  nine  hundred 
are  pro^dded  for.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  there  are  other  things 
to  be  looked  after  in  the  missionary  enterprise  besides  simply  putting 
foreign  missionaries  in  the  field.  Missionaries  have  to  live  in  very 
tr\'ing  climates  and  under  very  trying  conditions.  The  most  valuable 
things  we  have  in  the  missionary  enterprise  are  the  lives  of  our  mis- 
sionaries, and  they  should  not  be  toyed  with.  You  do  not  replace 
missionaries  like  these  by  sending  out  a  new  man.  You  have  got  to 
take  care  of  the  most  valuable  assets  you  have  already  in  the  field. 
Much  property  is  needed.  In  this  advance  movement  we  have  to 
keep  in  mind  such  justice  toward  the  men  already  sent. 

In  the  third  place  it  needs  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  after  all  the 
great  part  of  this  work  will  not  be  done  by  the  missionaries  who  are 
sent  out  from  this  country.  Dr.  Moffett  spoke  of  that  in  connection 
with  Korea.  In  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world  the  greater  part 
is  to  be  done  by  the  native  workers  on  the  field.     The  missionary 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE   PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  69 

workers  are  only  to  give  them  standard  and  direction  and  be  for  a 
time  their  leaders.  We  are  not  ignoring  the  fact  that  we  are  seeking 
by  every  agency,  by  most  earnest  prayer,  to  see  raised  up  all  over  the 
world  great  hosts  of  faithful  men  from  among  the  native  peoples  who 
will  be  like  some  of  those  of  whom  mention  has  been  made  this  morn- 
ing, who  will  preach  the  gospel  to  their  own  countrymen,  reaping 
results  that  no  foreign  missionary  can  ever  attain.  But  notwith- 
standing all  this,  we  may  need  our  two  thousand  men  and  our  two 
thousand  women  to  begin  things,  to  put  stiffening  into  the  project, 
to  furnish  its  leadership. 

Men  say,  further  and  truly,  that  there  are  great  differences  be- 
tween men,  and  that  one  superior  man  may  be  worth  twenty  common 
men,  and  that  we  cannot  parcel  out  the  whole  world  into  equal  parts 
of  25,000  with  a  man  to  each.  That  is  undoubtedly  true,  and  we  are 
seeking  for  those  stronger  men,  and  hope  there  will  come  out  from 
the  church  the  very  choicest  of  the  church's  sons  to  take  their  leader- 
ship in  this  great  movement.  A  few  men  like  Paul  are  worth  more 
than  many  mediocre  men,  and  the  free  and  individual  advice  of  a 
few  such  men  will  effect  more  than  arithmetical  assignment,  to  average 
men.  But  these  men  will  be  the  first  to  reduce  the  project  to  working 
terms  and  to  apportion  the  forces  to  the  task. 

It  is  true  also  that  w'e  have  got  to  recognize  the  fact  that  in  many 
different  fields  strong  native  churches  have  grown  up  and  that  the 
native  leaders  of  these  churches  are  more  important  than  the  average 
missionary.  You  cannot  deal  with  the  church  in  Japan  as  you  can  deal 
with  a  church  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  The  Church  of  Christ  in 
Japan  is  a  church  that  stands  on  its  own  feet  and  justly  demands 
recognition  as  a  sister  church.  It  expects  us  to  carry  on  the  work  in 
Japan  just  as  we  would  have  expected  the  Church  of  Scotland  to 
carry  on  a  work  in  the  United  States  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
and  I  think  it  is  fully  justified  in  its  expectations.  We  cannot  set 
down  a  map  of  Japan  and  cut  it  up  into  fragments  of  25,000  each 
and  apportion  one  foreign  missionary  to  each  section.  We  have  to 
reckon  upon  dealing  with  a  very  strong  and  vigorous  and  nationally 
ambitious  church  in  Japan.  If  there  are  any  who  think  this  is  not 
an  additional  asset  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  I  do  not  agree 
with  them.  It  is  just  so  much  to  the  good  in  our  project  of  evangel- 
izing the  world  that  we  have  in  many  different  lands  these  strong 
native  churches  built  up  which  are  now  prepared  to  take  their  part 
with  us  in  the  effort  to  make  Jesus  Christ  known  at  once  to  all  the 
world.  And  so  I  could  go  on  mentioning  other  conditions  which 
must  be  reckoned  with,  and  also  some  real  objections,  and  you  may 
raise  every  objection  that  you  please,  and  every  condition  springing 
from  difficult  questions  of  missionary  policy,  but  I  do  not  see  how  any 
such  difficulty  can  excuse  the  church  from  obedience  to  the  last 
command  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  after  all,  the  cautionary  voices  that 
are  telling  us  to  stop ;  the  men  who  say  to  us  that  we  must  beware  lest 


70  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

our  project  grow  too  chimerical  and  we  lose  the  strong  support  of 
the  sober  minded  men  of  the  church;  after  all,  all  such  voices  are 
perilous.  Would  they  have  us  obey  or  disobey  the  last  command  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  He  qualified  it  with  no  conditions.  He 
interjected  no  cautionary  phrases.  He  laid  His  great  life  down  on 
the  lives  of  the  men  for  whom  He  was  dying,  and  He  expected  even 
that  little  band  of  men,  His  brothers,  a  tiny  band  in  comparison  with 
the  company  gathered  here  to-day.  He  expected  that  little  band  to  go 
out  and  shake, — as  they  did  shake, — the  mighty  world.  And  we 
can  do  to-day  whatever  Christ  has  bidden  us  to  do.  Are  we  His 
followers  if  we  sit  down  here  in  council  and  ask  whether  our  Master 
has  not  blundered  in  giving  us  our  instructions?  Whether  He  has 
not  shown  disregard  of  caution,  or  excess  in  zeal,  or  a  foolish  enthu- 
siam  in  charging  us  to  evangelize  the  world?  We  surely  are  not  of 
the  men  who  question  the  judgment,  the  far-sighted  strategy,  the 
clear  authoritative  commands  of  Him  whom  we  call  Master  and 
Lord. 

And  w^hat  are  the  things  that  will  be  necessary  to-day  if  we  are  to 
face  this  problem  and  carry  it  through  to  a  successful  conclusion? 
In  the  first  place  we  must  recognize  theoretically  what  the  church 
exists  for.  Now  the  church  does  not  exist, — well  it  does  not  exist 
for  many  things.  There  is  no  use  in  re\aewing  the  things  for  which 
the  church  does  not  exist.  The  church  exists  to  do  the  work  which 
Jesus  Christ  gave  it  to  do.  That  work  He  took  pains  over  and  over 
again  to  state  for  the  benefit  of  His  disciples  after  His  crucifixion  before 
He  went  away.  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature."  It  is  not  going  into  the  world  and  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature  to  go  to  some  one  land  and  stop  there 
and  preach  the  Gospel  over  and  over  again  to  its  people.  That  must 
be  done,  but  that  is  not  the  primary  work  of  the  Christian  church. 
The  primary  work  of  the  Christian  church  is  the  evangelization  of 
the  world,  the  bearing  witness  to  Jesus  Christ  before  all  the  world 
for  which  Jesus  Christ  gave  His  life.  It  is  the  carrying  out  of  the 
last  and  the  clearly  expressed  program  of  Jesus  Christ,  "Ye  shall  be 
witnesses  of  me  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  And  the  first  thing  we 
need  to  do  is  to  recognize  that  that  is  the  Christian  theory  of  the 
Christian  church. 

In  the  second  place  we  have  got  practically  to  adapt  our  Chris- 
tianity to  that  theory.  We  have  got  so  to  arrange  things  that  our 
church  as  a  whole,  and  every  local  agency  in  our  church  will  assume 
its  proper  measure  of  responsibility.  Responsibility  that  is  not  allotted 
to  the  individuals  that  should  bear  it,  is  responsibility  that  will  never 
be  discharged.  The  only  way  the  entire  responsibility  of  the  church 
can  be  met  will  be  when  that  responsibility  has  been  broken  up  and 
each  constituent  part  of  the  church  takes  its  due  portion  of  responsi- 
bility which  belongs  to  it  and  it  alone.     And  in  the  first  place  it 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  7 1 

involves,  if  the  church  as  a  church  is  to  fulfill  its  task,  I  believe,  either 
a  spontaneous  or  an  authoritative  apportionment  of  the  amount 
necessary  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  We  do  not  want  any 
more  acedemic  statements  as  to  what  the  church  as  a  whole  ought 
to  do.  What  we  need  now  is  the  assumption  definitely  and  respon- 
sibly by  Synods  and  Presbyteries  and  local  congregations  and  individ- 
ual members  of  the  church  of  their  proper  portion  of  the  missionary 
responsibility  of  our  church  as  a  whole.  A  distribution  of  responsi- 
bility that  will  lay  in  some  real  sense  at  every  man's  door  the  con- 
sciousness of  his  duty  toward  a  hundred  of  his  fellow  creatures. 
Now  how  we  are  to  arrive  at  that  I  don't  know.  But  I  do  not  see 
why,  if  other  churches  in  which  the  independent  spirit  is  as  strong 
as  it  is  in  our  own  church  are  willing,  as  I  understand  they  are,  to 
distribute  among  themselves  to  each  congregation  and  in  each  con- 
gregation as  far  as  possible  to  each  individual,  his  due  share  of 
responsibility,  we  should  not  be  willing  to  do  the  same.  We  are  a 
body  of  men  who  can  govern  ourselves,  and  self  government  means 
a  readiness  on  the  part  of  each  member  of  the  self-governing  body  to 
shoulder  his  share  of  the  responsibility.  And  I  think  we  can  accom- 
plish very  much  if  we  go  out  from  this  gathering  insisting  that  each 
Synod  that  we  represent  shall  take  up  its  proper  measure  of  respon- 
sibility; that  each  Presbytery  shall  take  its  proper  share  of  that 
Synodical  responsibility;  that  each  separate  member  and  individual 
in  the  local  church  shall  take  the  share  of  responsibility  falling  to 
the  local  church.  This  is  not  the  only  way  to  do  the  thing,  but  it  is 
the  natural  way  for  a  church  which  desires  to  do  its  duty  as  a  church, 
to  proceed. 

Now  this  will  never  come  about  except  by  a  great  campaign  of 
education;  except  as  we  men  who  are  here  go  away  to  talk  about  this 
thing  to  other  men;  to  make  it  the  subject  of  our  conversation  with 
them;  to  sit  down  and  try  to  persuade  them  to  join  this  party,  the 
party  of  men  who  owe  absolute  allegiance  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
party  who  are  bent  upon  carrying  out  now  Jesus  Christ's  program 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  The  plan  of  assumption  of 
responsibility  for  a  specific  field  abroad  has  been  found  serviceable 
by  many  churches,  and  the  plan  of  supporting  individual  missionaries 
by  others.  But  we  do  not  need,  in  our  effort,  to  specify  responsibility 
to  go  beyond  this.  So  far  as  it  is  necessary,  as  1  have  already  said, 
we  have  got  to  define  our  responsibilities.  But,  gentlemen,  what 
would  have  happened  during  the  civil  war  if  every  man  had  tied  a 
condition  to  his  taxes,  and  specified  that  his  tax  was  to  go  to  furnish 
a  certain  soldier  of  a  certain  company  of  a  certain  regiment  of  a  certain 
brigade  with  hard  tack  on  a  certain  day?  You  cannot  carry  on  war 
if  you  tie  strings  like  that  to  available  resources.  We  have  sent  out 
now  nine  hundred  men  and  women  to  the  other  side  of  the  world. 
We  are  talking  now  of  sending  out  3,100  more.  We  have  got  to 
trust  these  men  and  women.     Thev  no  doubt  will  do  their  best.     It 


72  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

seems  to  me  that  we  have  got  to  shoulder  our  responsibility  for  them 
and  the  field  where  they  are,  and  that  we  have  got  to  give  them  what 
we  can  give,  and  tell  them  that  then*  hands  are  free  to  use  it  in  the 
best  and  most  effective  way  to  accomplish  the  ends. 

We  believe  that  now  at  last  the  time  has  come, — it  may  well  be, 
indeed  our  Calvanistic  faith  would  assure  us  that  it  must  be,  that  the 
time  had  not  come  until  now, — but  at  last  we  may  be  sure  the  time 
has  come  when  we  may  go  out  to  evangelize  the  world,  believing  that 
we  can  accomplish  it  in  our  own  day.  It  may  be  that  our  fathers 
could  not  have  done  it  in  their  day.  I  believe  they  were  as  con- 
scientious men  as  we  are,  and  they  were  just  as  firmly  resolved  on 
fulfilling  the  will  of  God  as  we  are,  and  though  they  strove  earnestly 
to  attain  these  great  things,  their  eyes  did  not  behold  them.  But 
perhaj^s  at  last  the  generation  has  come  to  which  God  is  to  give  the 
privilege  of  seeing  that  the  Gospel  of  His  Son  is  made  known  to 
every  soul  throughout  the  world. 

I  suppose  that  many  of  us  who  have  gathered  here  are  laymen. 
It  is  a  good  thing  that  this  is  not  a  laymen's  convention.  It  is  not 
proposed  in  this  enterprise  to  split  up  the  church  of  Christ  into  un- 
christian fragments.  It  is  proposed  in  this  enterprise  that  the  whole 
church  should  move  forward  together  to  accomplish  the  responsibility 
which  belongs  to  the  church  as  a  whole.  But  the  real  trouble  is  that 
a  certain  element  of  the  church  has  lagged  behind  its  duty  and  that 
now  the  day  has  come  for  that  element  of  the  church  to  take  up  its 
duty  as  other  elements  of  the  church's  life  had  already  taken  up  theirs. 
And  I  believe  that  this  Laymen's  Missionary.  Movement  of  which 
Mr.  Campbell  White  is  to  speak  later  in  the  convention,  is  a  hopeful 
sign  of  the  coming  of  the  time  when  the  men  of  the  church  are  to 
bear  their  burden  and  share  each  his  portion  of  the  responsibility. 
This  movement  sets  out  with  some  of  the  best  men  we  have  in  the 
east  behind  it,  and  good  men  from  all  over  the  land  allying  themselves 
with  it,  contemplating: — 

First,  a  great  campaign  of  missionary  education. 

Second,  a  commission  of  fifty  or  one  hundred  men  to  go  out 
and  examine  the  mission  fields  and  come  back  and  report  to  the  church 
on  its  present  duty;  and 

Third,  an  earnest  cooperation  v^th  the  organized  missionary 
societies  in  the  effort  to  evangelize  the  world  in  our  generation. 

My  brothers,  the  thing  at  last  can  be  done.  The  only  question 
is  whether  we  will  take  our  part  in  doing  it.  If  we  are  prepared  by 
devotion,  in  obedience,  by  prayer,  with  love,  to  rise  up  now  and  follow 
Jesus  Christ,  we  can  evangelize  this  world  before  we  die.  I  have 
taken  one  thing  for  granted  throughout.  I  have  been  speaking  of 
the  distinct  responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  not  of  its  dis- 
tinct responsibility.  Has  not  the  time  come  at  last  when  we  can  take 
it  for  granted  that  a  Christian  man  is  a  Christian?  Is  it  still  necessary 
to  demonstrate  to  men  gathered  in  Christ's  name  their  obligation  to 


RESPONSIBILITY   OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  73 

obey  Jesus  Christ?  Is  it  necessary  to  prove  to  them  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  just  as  necessary  to  every  other  man  in  the  world  as  He  is  to  them? 
If  our  Lord  is  life  to  us,  if  we  are  prepared  to  call  Him  our  Master, 
and  mean  by  that  calling  that  we  are  ready  to  do  His  will,  we  can 
take  for  granted  here  to-day  the  recognition  on  the  part  of  each  man 
of  us  of  his  duty  to  get  Jesus  Christ  to  the  world.  The  only  thing 
remaining  is  that,  what,  theoretically,  we  accept  as  our  obligation, 
we  should  now  practically  assume,  and  my  prayer  is  that  here  in  this 
convention,  where  the  free  men  of  our  church  are  met  in  the  free  love 
of  Christ  to  speak  freely  of  their  duty  to  Him  and  the  glory  of  His 
service  in  the  world,  we  may  define  for  ourselves  what  our  specific 
duty  is  and  may  accept  that  duty  and  go  out  to  do  it  NOW. 


XII 

WAITING   BEFORE   GOD   IN   PRAYER— "LORD   WHAT 
WILT  THOU  HAVE  ME  TO   DO?" 

PRAYERS  FOLLOWING  ADDRESS  BY  ROBERT  E.   SPEER,   FEB.   20,    I907, 
AT  MISSIONARY  CONVENTION,  OMAHA,  NEB. 

Prayer  by  J.  Campbell  White:  We  thank  Thee,  our  Lord,  for 
the  unspeakable  honor  of  such  a  share  in  Thy  work.  We  thank  Thee 
that  Thou  dost  permit  us  to  continue  to  do  the  work  which  Thou 
Thyself  didst  begin,  and  we  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  promised  to 
work  with  us  until  the  whole  harvest  is  secured.  We  thank  Thee  for 
the  definiteness  of  our  promise  that  this  Gospel  of  the  Klingdom  shall 
be  preached  throughout  all  the  world  for  a  testimony  to  all  the  nations. 
We  pray  that  to-day  each  man  of  us  may  have  grace  given  him  to 
accept  his  full  measure  of  responsibility  and  to  say  to  Thee,  "If  Thou 
wilt  show  me  anything  that  I  can  do  for  the  redemption  of  the  world 
by  Thy  grace,  I  desire  to  undertake  it  now." 

We  pray  that  this  great  body  of  men  representing  so  many  thou- 
sands of  members  of  Thy  church  may  be  so  guided  by  Thy  Spirit  this 
day  in  the  acceptance  of  responsibility  which  Thou  hast  distributed 
to  us,  that  this  whole  church  may  be  moved  as  by  Thy  guiding  Spirit 
to  undertake  the  thing  that  Thou  art  calling  upon  us  in  Thy  name  to 
do.  And  we  pray  Thee  that  the  whole  Church  of  Christ  may  be  led 
to  a  similar  surrendering  to  Thee  for  the  carrying  out  of  Thy  plan, 
and  may  Thine  eyes  see  the  fulfillment  of  Thy  promise  "when  the 
world  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  as 
the  waters  fill  the  earth." 

What  else  in  all  the  world  is  worthy  for  one  moment  to  be  compared 
with  the  dignity  and  the  glory  and  the  permanent  value  of  such  an 
enterprise  as  this? 

Help  us  to  realize  that  our  own  development  and  the  destiny  of 
millions  of  other  lives  as  valuable  as  our  own  to  Thee,  are  at  stake  and 
that  by  our  decision  to-day  in  Thy  presence  we  may  decide  whether 
or  not  Thy  purpose  shall  be  realized  and  fulfilled. 

For  these  vast  multitudes.  Thou  hast  loved  to  the  point  of  laying 
down  Thine  own  life.  And  so  may  Thy  Spirit  control  our  mind  and 
our  judgment  and  our  will  so  that  we  may  not  go  away  from  here  with- 
out saying,  "Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do?"  and  then  may  we 
so  live  that  when  life  is  over  we  may  say  to  Thee  honestly,  "Father, 
I  have  glorified  Thee  upon  the  earth ;  I  have  finished  the  work  which 
Thou  gavest  me  to  do." 

74 


WAITING  BEFORE  GOD  IN  PRAYER  75 

And  so  may  we  be  satisfied  in  the  end  as  well  as  Thou,  to  the 
glory  of  Thine  own  name.     Amen. 

Prayer  by  Mr.  Speer:  Oh,  Christ,  we  pray  Thee  that  Thou  wilt 
bring  us  to-day  where  we  may  look  upon  Thy  face.  Help  us,  we 
beseech  Thee,  to  enter  in  a  little  measure,  at  least,  into  the  greatness 
of  the  Love  that  brought  Thee  here  for  us,  and  entering  into  that 
love  we  pray  Thee  that  our  hearts  may  be  drawn  out  toward  the  great 
world  of  humanity  for  whom  Thou  didst  live  and  die,  and  who  are 
to-day  in  ignorance  of  Thee  and  of  Thy  grace  and  power.  These 
hearts  of  ours  are  so  cold  and  sluggish  and  we  have  been  so  easily 
ensnared  by  the  petty  interests,  selfish  and  narrow,  that  have  hedged 
us  in,  that  our  hearts  have  not  realized  what  the  real  business  of  our 
lives  must  be.  We  pray  Thee  to  help  us  to  realize  it  now.  To 
enable  us  to  discern  clearly  what  is  Thy  will  for  Thy  church  and 
Thy  will  for  our  own  lives,  and  here  this  morning,  before  we  go,  we 
pray  Thee  to  help  us  each  man  to  draw  near  to  Thee,  to  feel  more 
the  tenderness  of  Thy  love,  to  be  drawn  out  by  Thy  grace  with  great 
desire  toward  all  those,  Oh,  Christ,  for  whom  Thou  didst  die.  And 
may  our  gathering  here  this  morning  not  alone  have  brought  to  us 
new  thoughts  about  our  church  work,  but  may  it  also  have  brought 
to  each  of  us  a  new  consecration  to  our  church's  Lord,  a  new  yielding 
up  of  our  lives  with  all  that  they  have  of  strength  and  capacity  to  do, 
of  every  resource,  to  Him  to  be  spent  henceforth  in  His  service  alone 
and  in  hastening  the  day  for  which  Oh,  Savior,  Thou  hast  been  waiting, 
when  at  last  the  crown  shall  be  placed  upon  Thy  head  and  "Thou 
shalt  see  of  all  the  travail  of  Thy  soul  for  men  and  be  satisfied." 

Keep  us  under  Thy  influence,  we  pray  Thee,  as  we  go  and  do 
Thou  do  Thy  work  in  our  lives,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  so  our  lives 
may  be  given  to  Thee  for  Thy  present  use  in  the  immediate  evangel- 
ization of  the  world.  We  ask  it,  Oh,  God,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  and  the  Lord  of  all  mankind.    Amen. 


Motive 

''For  the  love  of  Christ  co7istraineth  us. 


Chairman:  Mr.  Thos.  A.  Hall. 
Devotional:  C.  F.  Hubbard,  d.d. 
Benediction:  Rev.  F.  W.  Lewis. 


78 


XIII 

CHRIST'S  APPEAL  TO  MEN  FOR  THE  WORLD 

BY  MR.  ROBERT  E.  SPEER 

Christ's  first  appeal  to  men,— His  men, — is  for  a  world  wide  vision. 

"Lift  up  your  eyes,"  is  His  call  to  His  men,  "Look  upon  the 
fields."  And  His  conception  of  the  field  as  we  know  is  that  it  em- 
braces the  world.  No  man  can  have  heard  the  appeal  of  Jesus 
Christ,  whose  vision  is  limited  to  His  own  life,  to  his  own  country, 
to  his  own  land.  The  horizon  of  Christ  was  a  horizon  that  took  in 
the  world,  and  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  was  to  be  the  mind  of  each 
of  His  disciples,  and  their  horizon  and  interest  were  to  be  no  narrower 
than  His.  We  never  find  Him  thinking  in  any  narrower  terms  than 
terms  of  the  world  and  all  the  race  of  man.  "I  am  the  Light  of  the 
World."  "The  Bread  which  I  will  give  is  my  flesh  which  I  will  give 
for  the  life  of  the  world."  "The  field  is  the  world."  "As  my  Father 
hath  sent  me  into  the  world  even  so  I  send  you  into  the  world."  "Ye 
are  the  light  of  the  world."  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature."  And  we  have  been  deaf  in  some 
measure  to  the  plea  of  Christ  for  men,  if  we  have  not  heard  His  plea 
for  a  vision  that  shall  include  the  world. 

In  the  second  place,  the  plea  of  Christ  is  not  only  for  a  world 
vision.  It  is  for  a  vision  that  shall  penetrate  into  the  real  need  of 
the  world.  There  are  many  men  in  our  day  who  think  in  terms  of 
the  world ;  of  world  politics,  of  world  consciousness,  of  world  explora- 
tions. But  Jesus  Christ  demands  of  men  a  vision  of  the  world  that 
shall  go  beyond  all  the  surface  life  of  men;  that  shall  penetrate  into 
his  real  need  and  discern  that  real  need  as  He  discerned  it,  who  tells 
us  that  "He  came  into  the  world  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost."  The  knowledge  of  the  world  to  which  Jesus  Christ  appeals 
is  not  a  mere  world  extensive  knowledge.  It  is  a  knowledge  that  shall 
go  beneath  the  surface  on  which  most  men's  eyes  rest,  and  shall  dis- 
cern the  real  need  of  the  world  as  Jesus  Christ  discerned  it.  We  need 
to  go  no  further  for  this  discernment  than  the  irresistible  implications 
of  the  incarnation.  When  men  tell  us  that  the  world  does  not  need 
Christianity,  that  the  world  has  its  own  religions  and  can  get  along 
with  its  own  religions,  that  perhaps  some  of  the  religions  of  the  world 
are  better  adapted  to  the  people  who  profess  them  than  Christianity 
would  be,  it  is  sufficient  for  us  to  whom  Jesus  Christ  is  authoratative 
Master  and  Lord,  to  remember  that  He  came.  If  there  is  no  need 
for  His  going  out  into  the  world  to-day,  what  need  was  there  for  His 
coming  into  the  world  nineteen  hundred  years  ago?    All  the  religions 

79 


8o  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

that  are  in  the  world  now,  with  the  exception  of  jMohammedanism, 
were  here  when  Jesus  Christ  came.  If  Hindooism  and  Confucianism 
and  Buddhism  and  Judaism  were  sufficient  for  the  needs  of  men, 
why  the  folly  of  Christ's  life  and  death?  It  is  enough  for  us  to  look 
back  upon  the  Son  of  God  "who  came  to  seek  and  save  that  which 
was  lost,"  and  who  died  the  propitiation  not  for  our  sins  only,  but  also 
for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  and  we  will  believe  about  the  world 
to-day  what  Jesus  Christ  believed  about  it  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago.  And  it  is  not  only  the  implications  of  the  incarnation  that 
require  us  to  take  Christ's  view  of  the  world's  need.  The  very  terms 
of  the  Great  Commission  themselves  constitute  an  appeal  to  men  to 
realize  the  need  of  the  world.  We  are  told  ofttimes  now-a-days  that 
our  religion  is  not  the  final  religion,  that  it  ought  to  be  more  modest 
than  to  set  out  to  replace  and  subdue  all  the  other  religions  of  the 
world;  that  the  ultimate  religion  will  be  a  religion  made  up  of  the 
gifts  and  lights  of  all  the  different  ways  in  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
dealt  with  men.  No  such  idea  as  this  lay  in  the  mind  of  Christ  when 
He  gave  His  Great  Commission  to  the  church.  He  did  not  bid  us 
to  go  out  and  compare  His  religion  with  other  religions  in  order  to 
supplement  it  with  what  we  found  in  them  that  was  lacking  in  it. 
He  bade  us  to  go  out  and  with  that  religion  of  His,  making  no  terms 
with  anybody,  to  subdue  the  whole  world  and  to  bring  men  every- 
where into  loyal  obedience  to  Him  and  to  Him  alone.  And  it  is  not 
alone  by  the  implications  of  the  incarnation  of  His  Great  Commission 
that  Jesus  Christ  makes  His  appeal  to  us  to  discern  not  only  the 
breadth  of  the  world,  but  also  the  depth  of  the  world's  needs.  He  is 
speaking  to  us  by  all  the  voices  of  the  world's  present  necessities. 
Those  four  hundred  thousand  people  who  are  starving  to  death  out- 
side the  gates  of  Tsing  Kiang  Pu  in  China,  and  the  millions  more 
through  all  that  region  who  are  famishing,  do  you  suppose  Jesus 
Christ  is  not  speaking  through  them?  As  truly  as  He  spoke  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  He  speaks  out  of  all  human  hunger  and  naked- 
ness and  need.  In  the  fact  that  every  one  of  the  non-Christian 
religions  either  allows  or  enjoins  the  practice  of  polygamy,  is  there 
no  voice  of  Jesus  Christ  speaking  to  Christian  men  to  recognize  the 
need  of  the  world?  I  understand  that  someone  was  speaking  last 
night  of  some  evidences  of  the  world's  moral  need.  Anybody  who 
is  here  to-day  who  has  spent  any  part  of  his  life  on  the  mission  field 
could  confirm  all  that  was  said  and  say  much  more  that  it  would  not 
be  proper  to  say,  regarding  the  moral  need  of  the  world  that  has  not 
been  purified  by  the  influence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Out  of  all 
its  voices  of  need  the  world  is  speaking  to  us  and  Christ  is  speaking 
to  us  in  its  voice.  This  cry  that  comes  "through  midnight  gloom 
from  Macedon,  the  cry  of  myriads  as  of  one,"  is  not  only  the  cry  of 
four  hundred  millions  from  China,  three  hundred  millions  in  India, 
two  hundred  eighty  or  ninety  millions  in  Africa,  and  forty  millions 
more  to  the  south  of  us,  is  the  appeal  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself  who  is 


Christ's  appeal  to  men  for  the  world  8i 

speaking  through  all  these  voices  to  the  men  of  His  church  to-day  to 
recognize  not  only  the  world  as  His  field,  but  a  world  needing  them 
as  much  as  it  needed  Him. 

And  the  appeal  of  Christ  is  not  only  an  appeal  for  a  broad  vision 
and  for  vision  of  the  real  facts  of  the  world's  need.  It  is  an  appeal  in 
the  third  place  for  sympathy  and  for  love.  He  desires  no  pity  that  does 
not  include  all  the  suffering  children  of  His  Father.  When  He  lifted 
up  His  eyes  and  looked  upon  the  multitudes,  He  saw  them  as  sheep 
scattered  abroad  and  He  had  compassion  upon  them.  Christ's  appeal 
to  men  to-day  is  to  care  for  this  world  with  its  need  which  He  is  loving 
and  yearning  over  to-day  with  the  same  pity  and  compassion  which  He 
felt  for  it  when  He  was  here.  You  will  remember  that  when  He  was 
asked  what  the  whole  Old  Testament  law  amounted  to  when  you 
reduced  it  to  its  real  moral  meaning,  He  replied  that  you  had  just 
two  things  left:  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,"and,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Our  Lord's 
appeal  to  the  men  of  His  church  to-day  is  an  appeal  for  a  spirit  of 
love  toward  the  world  akin  to  the  spirit  of  love  that  was  in  His  heart, 
and  that  made  Him  willing  to  live  and  to  die  for  this  world. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  appeal  of  Christ  to  men  for  the  world  is 
not  alone  an  appeal  for  sympathy  and  for  love,  it  is  an  appeal  for 
action.  All  the  sympathy  and  love  that  are  worthy  of  those  names 
in  Christ's  view  are  sympathy  and  love  that  find  their  expression  in 
action.  He  wants  no  spiritually  weakening  pity  that  does  not  go 
out  in  active  sympathy  for  those  who  are  in  need.  The  whole 
emphasis  of  our  Lord  was  always  upon  action  for  those  who  require 
help.  His  last  commission  itself  put  the  emphasis  there.  He  never 
told  His  church  to  sit  down  and  vindicate  the  truth  of  His  revelation 
to  the  world  by  defensive  apologetics.  He  told  His  church  to  go  out 
and  convince  the  world  of  the  truth  and  authority  of  His  revelation 
by  subduing  the  world  with  it.  If  we  want  to  convince  the  world 
that  the  gospel  has  power  in  it,  the  sure  way  is  to  go  out  and  subdue 
the  world  with  it.  If  there  ever  was  a  time  when  men  needed  to 
sit  down  and  argue  out  the  Christian  faith  for  themselves ;  when  they 
needed  to  sit  down  and  build  up  all  the  defense  of  it  of  which  they 
could  conceive;  when  it  was  desirable  for  them  to  draft  a  clear  state- 
ment of  what  they  believed  and  the  grounds  of  their  conviction,  that 
time  was  when  Jesus  Christ  told  His  disciples  to  let  all  that  sort  of 
thing  go  for  the  present  and  go  out  and  make  His  gospel  known  to 
all  the  world.  And  His  appeal  to-day  surely  is  for  the  kind  of  action 
that  filled  the  apostolic  church,  and  we  may  be  sure  that  if  we  will 
go  out  with  our  Gospel  and  subdue  the  world  with  it,  we  will  convince 
men  here  at  home  that  that  Gospel  is  the  power  of  God.  The  appeal 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  men  is  an  appeal  for  sympathy  and  for  love  expressed 
in  action. 

In  the  fifth  place  it  is  an  appeal  for  action  under  the  personal 
leadership  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself.     What  we  are  going  out  in  the 


82  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

world  to  do  is  a  great  personal  thing.  I  do  not  believe  there  would 
be  power  in  the  missionary  movement  to  enlist  the  life  that  it  has 
enlisted,  or  to  hold  us  here  to-day  under  its  spell  as  it  is  holding  us,  if 
it  were  just  an  impersonal  movement  of  reform  directed  to  the  amelio- 
ration of  the  moral  conditions  of  the  world.  What  draws  us  is  Christ, 
the  knowledge  that  we  are  called  as  the  personal  followers  and  cham- 
pions of  a  living  Lord.  The  thing  that  we  are  seeking  to  do  is  to  get 
a  crown  and  put  it  down  on  the  head  of  this  Lord  of  ours. 

It  is  to  conceive  of  the  missionary  enterprise  in  these  personal 
terms  that  Jesus  Christ  is  appeahng  to  men  to-day.  He  means  them 
to  find  their  great  motive  in  personal  relationship  to  Him.  It  is  told 
of  one  of  Wellington's  campaigns  that  it  became  necessary,  in  order 
to  carry  a  certain  \actor}%  to  take  what  looked  like  an  impregnable 
position,  and  he  called  one  of  his  captains  to  him  and  explained  that 
the  taking  of  that  position  was  indispensible  to  victory  and  he  asked 
the  man  Avhether  he  was  willing  to  go  and  try,  and  the  man  looked  up 
for  one  moment  at  the  project  that  was  set  before  him,  and  recognized 
that  it  was  a  well-nigh  hopeless  task,  and  said,  "Sir,  if  you  will  give 
me  one  grasp  of  your  conquering  hand  I  will  go."  It  is  because  we 
know  that  we  hold  that  conquering  Hand  that  we  are  prepared  to  go. 
We  understand  perfectly  well  that  this  missionary  project  is  an  im- 
possible one  measured  by  all  human  standards,  that  the  thing  that  is 
set  before  us  is  a  thing  to  make  the  world  laugh.  But  we  know  as 
well  that  the  hand  we  have  laid  hold  of  is  an  in\dncible  hand,  and  in 
that  grasp  is  our  confidence  that  we  can  do  the  impossible  thing. 
And  we  rejoice  to  know  that  the  appeal  that  comes  to  us  to-day  is  an 
appeal  to  accept  the  personal  leadership  of  an  invincible  captain. 

In  the  next  place  this  appeal  of  Christ  to  men  is  an  appeal  for 
intense  and  earnest  service.  We  do  not  want  in  this  missionary 
enterprise  the  luke-warm  or  half-hearted;  the  men  who,  having  put 
their  hand  to  the  plow,  are  going  to  turn  back.  I  do  not  believe  we 
need,  to  achieve  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  to  carry  our  whole 
church  with  us.  As  I  look  back  over  the  history,  I  do  not  see  that 
God  has  worked  by  majorities.  Rather  as  Mr.  John  Wooley  has 
said,  the  truth  has  always  been  in  the  custody  of  the  minority,  and  I 
suspect  it  will  continue  there.  We  do  not  need  to  feel  discouraged 
as  we  enter  the  great  campaign  ahead  of  us.  The  men  who  believe 
in  this  thing  and  are  going  to  stay  by  it  to  the  end,  and  who  are  going 
to  see  it  through  or  die  still  trying,  need  not  be  discouraged  by  the 
fact  that  they  are  in  the  minority.  We  do  not  need  to  wait  until  the 
whole  church  comes  to  right  feeling  regarding  it.  We  need  to  remem- 
ber that  Christ  needs  only  a  few  men  to  catch  His  spirit  and  to  follow 
Him,  just  a  few  men  who  will  say  about  their  lives  what  He  said  about 
His  life,  "I  will  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day, 
because  the  night  cometh  when  no  man  can  work  any  more,"  who 
will  take  up  this  work  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  He  took  it  up  of 
whom  it  was  said  that  "the  zeal  of  his  Father's  house  hath  eaten  him 


Christ's  appeal  to  men  for  the  world  83 

up,"  and  who  found  it  His  meat  and  His  drink  to  do  the  will  of  God. 
The  appeal  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  men  who  have  gathered  here  in 
this  convention  is  not  alone  to  act  under  His  personal  leadership,  but 
to  act  in  His  own  loving  spirit,  His  spirit  of  intense  and  unwithholding 
devotion. 

And  therefore  He  is  appealing  to  us  not  alone  for  intense  and 
earnest  action,  but  for  sacrificial  obedience.  Men  say  sometimes, — I 
heard  it  said  the  other  evening, — that  the  great  need  of  the  missionary 
enterprise  is  loiowledge;  that  if  only  men  know  they  will  do. Well  a 
great  need  of  the  missionary  enterprise  is  knowledge.  I  am  glad 
that  Dr.  Sailer  is  to  speak  on  this  theme.  But  after  all  there  are  many 
men  who  know  and  are  not  willing  to  do.  Knowledge  is  an  essential 
thing,  but  it  is  only  power  to  those  who  have  something  prior  to  it, 
who  are  capable  of  being  inflamed  by  it.  Men  sometimes  say  that 
the  great  need  of  the  church  is  for  individuals  who  will  give  millions 
of  dollars.  Well,  perhaps  the  day  is  coming  when  individuals  will 
give  millions  of  dollars  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  But  the 
great  need  of  the  missionary  enterprise  is  not  primarily  money.  The 
apostles  had  no  missionar}''  treasury  upon  which  to  fall  back.  Our 
Lord  Himself  had  no  money  and  never  relied  upon  it.  Men  some- 
times say  that  what  the  missionary  enterprise  needs  is  more  prayer. 
It  does  need  more  prayer  provided  it  is  the  kind  of  prayer  that  springs 
from  the  spirit  of  which  I  am  now  going  to  speak  as  the  one  absolutely 
essential  thing  in  the  missionary  enterprise ;  I  mean  the  spirit  of  sacri- 
ficial obedience.  Jesus  Christ  is  calling  men  to-day  to  this  more  than 
for  any  other  one  thing.  He  wants  us  men  who  are  gathered  here 
in  this  convention  to  realize  that  the  bonds  of  Christ's  obligation  rest 
on  us  all  alike.  There  is  no  one  class  of  men  in  the  Christian,  church 
which  can  enjoy  special  religious  privileges  or  who  are  charged  with 
peculiar  religious  obligations.  The  privileges  of  Christ's  fellowship, 
and  the  duties  of  Christ's  service  rest  alike  upon  every  Christian 
man's  heart.  And  not  alone  do  these  obligations  rest  upon  all,  but 
these  obligations  demand  everything  of  all.  Jesus  Christ  is  not  asking 
for  men  who  will  try  to  compound  with  Him  for  fifty  per  cent  of  their 
money  or  five  per  cent  of  their  time,  or  ten  per  cent  of  their  life.  "If 
any  man  will  come  after  me,"  He  said,  and  He  is  saying  it  still,  "If 
any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  take  up  his  cross  daily  and  follow 
me."  "Whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath, 
he  cannot  be  my  disciple."  Now,  I  am  not  saying  anything  so  hard 
as  this ;  I  am  only  quoting  the  words  of  the  one  whom  we  call  Master 
and  Lord.  "Whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he 
hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple."  Our  Lord  did  not  make  any 
atheistic  provision  by  which  a  man  can  divide  up  his  life  and  retain 
the  lordship  over  some  of  it  for  himself  while  he  delivers  the  lordship 
over  the  rest  to  Jesus  Christ.  If  he  cannot  be  Lord  of  all,  I  do  not 
think  He  has  any  special  interest  in  being  Lord  at  all.  What  He  is 
calling  for  to-day  is  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  our  lives;  that  we 


84  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

should  rise  up  and  follow  Him  in  the  spirit  of  utter  sacrificial  obedi- 
ence, that  that  spirit  should  reign  henceforth  in  all  the  practical 
administration  of  our  life. 

There  died  just  a  little  while  ago  in  the  city  of  Indianapolis,  an 
old  man  whom  I  suspect  some  of  you  knew.  He  was  regarded  as  a 
very  eccentric  man.  He  was  accustomed  to  buy  clothes  of  the 
simplest  kind,  ready  made.  His  shoes  were  the  cheapest.  He  never 
rode  in  a  conveyance  unless  the  distance  was  so  long  he  could  not 
walk.  He  lived  in  a  very  cheap  restaurant  where  he  paid  for  his 
meals  by  the  week  or  month.  Now  it  was  not  penuriousness  that 
made  old  Simon  Yandes  live  that  way;  it  was  to  see  how  much  money 
he  could  gather  together.  He  used  what  he  had  saved  in  the  minis- 
tries of  Christ  in  the  world.  When  the  executors  came  to  examine 
his  estate  they  found  there  was  not  much  of  it;  he  had  given  all  of 
his  money  away  during  his  life.  Thousands  of  dollars  had  been 
given  to  our  church  for  education  and  missions,  and  he  had  sent 
thousands  for  the  spread  of  Christ's  gospel  over  the  world.  Let 
those  who  think  Simon  Yandes  was  an  eccentric  man  have  their 
reckoning  with  Simon  Yandes'  Master,  who  "though  he  was  rich, 
yet  for  our  sakes  became  poor;"  who  had  some  of  the  same  eccentricity 
that  Simon  Yandes  had,  who  "though  the  foxes  had  holes  and  the 
birds  of  the  air  had  nests,  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head."  And  let 
us  be  careful  how  in  the  snug  and  easy  selfishness  and  self-indulgence 
of  our  lives  we  find  fault  with  principles  by  which  the  Son  of  Man 
lived  and  by  which  the  Son  of  Man  is  calling  to  the  sons  of  men  to 
live.  I  was  reading  awhile  ago  in  the  life  oi  Dr.  Livingstone,  that 
picture  of  the  last  night  which  he  spent  in  his  humble  home  in  Scot- 
land. He  and  his  father,  his  old  weaver  father,  never  lay  down  to 
sleep  all  that  night.  They  sat  and  talked  together  until  the  light  of 
the  morning  broke,  regarding  the  past;  regarding  the  life  that  was 
before  Livingstone  in  Africa;  regarding  the  possibilities  of  this  great 
enterprise  to  which  this  Scotch  family  was  now  giving  of  its  best; 
regarding  the  time  which  they  believed  would  come  when  rich  men 
instead  of  maintaining  great  estates  for  their  own  glory  would  count 
it  the  greatest  riches  of  their  lives  to  see  to  the  evangelization  of  great 
sections  of  the  world,  and  would  themselves  support  whole  missionary 
stations.  I  suppose  there  are  some  men  here  to-day,  who  if  they 
heard  with  sufficient  clearness,  and  were  ready  to  respond  with 
sufficient  sacrificial  obedience  to  the  great  appeal  of  Christ,  might 
do  that  thing  themselves.  We  have  individuals  who  could  evangelize 
the  whole  of  Korea;  individuals  who  could  perhaps  take  Persia, 
where  Mr.  Jordan  was  speaking  of  planting  that  college  in  which 
he  is  interested,  fields  which  are  largely  our  distinct  Presbyterian 
responsibility. 

And  last  of  all  it  is  upon  our  response  to  this  appeal  that  Jesus 
Christ  conditions  His  willingness  to  stay  with  us.  We  are  talking 
about  the  weakness  of  our  Christian  agencies  at  home.    We  desire 


Christ's  appeal  to  men  for  the  world  85 

more  power  in  the  endeavors  that  we  are  putting  forth  here  to  save 
our  own  land.  My  friends,  all  those  efforts  will  be  impotent  so  long 
as  we  ignore  the  one  divinely  imposed  condition.  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  has  told  us  that  He  will  stay  with  His  church  on  one  con- 
dition, and  we  can  have  Him  or  not,  just  as  we  please,  as  we  fulfill 
or  do  not  fulfill  that  one  condition.  "All  authority  hath  been  given 
me  in  heaven  and  among  men.  Go  ye  therefore  and  make  disciples 
of  all  the  nations,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you,  and  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world." 

May  be  some  of  you  were  thinking  this  morning  of  what  would 
happen  here  at  home  if  we  turned  loose  all  these  great  energies  for 
which  we  are  appealing  into  the  work  of  the  evangelization  of  the 
non-Christian  world.  I  will  tell  you  what  will  happen  at  home. 
The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  come  down  and  walk  in  the  midst  of  His 
church  once  again.  The  power  of  Christ  will  be  released  in  such 
measure  as  we  have  never  seen  it  in  our  land  before,  and  far  and 
wide  in  our  own  land  men  will  lay  hold  upon  our  skirts  and  ask  us 
to  let  them  into  our  secret.  What  Christ  is  waiting  for  is  the  day 
when  men, — men,  many  or  few, — men,  rich  or  poor, — men,  young 
or  old,  will  hearken  once  more  to  His  Great  Command  and  will  lay 
down  their  lives  at  his  feet  in  absolute  and  unreserved  obedience. 
If  He  were  here  to-day, — nay,  He  is  here  to-day,  over  against  the  life 
of  eveiy  man  of  us!  And  I  ask  you  to  make  your  aswer  to  His 
appeal  which  I  have  been  trying  to  express  in  His  name  to-day,  to 
Him  whom  we  call  Master  and  Lord,  and  who  stands  in  the  midst 
saying,  "Why  call  ye  me  Lord,  Lord,  and  do  not  the  things  that  I 
say?  " 

May  the  spirit  that  passed  out  from  Him  to  those  humble  Galileans 
and  made  them  world-transforming  men,  pass  out  from  Him  to  us 
who  are  gathered  here  to-day,  and  send  us  out  to  complete  the  work 
which  Jesus  Christ  began,  and  to  get  for  Him  that  crown  which  He 
came  for  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  which  when  we  wish  we 
can  lay  down  upon  His  brow.  Oh,  my  friends,  why  shall  we  not 
do  it  now? 


XIV 
THE  NEED  OF  SYSTEMATIC  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION 

BY  PROF.  T.  H.  P.  SAILER,  PH.D. 

The  program  assigns  me  the  subject,  "The  Inspiration  of  In- 
formation." I  wish  to  speak  about  something  quite  different,  viz.: 
"The  Need  of  Systematic  Education."  The  last  speaker  has  referred 
to  the  fact  that  knowledge  is  not  all  that  the  church  needs.  Informa- 
tion ignores  this  truth.  Education  recognizes  it  and  makes  its  aim 
not  to  pour  in  but  to  draw  out.  Unless  it  secures  results  in  organized 
habits  of  action,  education  does  not  educate  and  confesses  itself  a 
failure. 

If  there  is  any  one  thing  to  which  the  American  people  are  thor- 
oughly committed  it  is  education.  They  believe  that  those  who  are 
responsible  for  the  conduct  of  the  government  must  have  a  broad 
outlook  and  trained  facilities.  In  a  despotic  monarchy,  where  no 
one  but  the  ruler  is  responsible  for  the  control  of  the  state,  it  is  a 
matter  of  indifference  whether  the  people  are  educated  or  not ;  in  fact, 
they  can  be  managed  better  when  they  are  kept  apart  from  the  in- 
fluences of  modern  thought,  as  the  Czar  of  Russia  is  now  finding  to 
his  cost.  But  if  a  people  are  to  conduct  the  government  for  them- 
selves, education  is  absolutely  indispensable.  - 

In  the  church  the  importance  of  education  is  being  constantly 
more  recognized.  The  church  building  of  a  generation  ago  was  an 
oblong  box  with  a  pulpit  at  one  end.  In  these  days  the  well-equipped 
church  has  special  facilities  for  systematic  religious  education  in  the 
shape  of  a  whole  series  of  Sunday  School  rooms  and  class  rooms  for 
Bible  study. 

Among  the  Foreign  Missionary  Boards  the  importance  of  system- 
atic education  is  attracting  attention.  I  think  I  am  right  in  saying 
that  five  years  ago  only  one  religious  denomination  in  the  United 
States  was  officially  doing  anything  along  this  line.  Now  practically 
all  the  leading  denominations  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  have 
one  or  more  persons  giving  all  or  part  of  their  time  to  this  work. 
Last  spring  a  man  came  into  my  office  who  had  been  Senior  Wrangler 
at  Cambridge.  He  had  attained  one  of  the  highest  honors  open  to 
a  university  student  in  Great  Britain,  but  was  taking  up  the  work  of 
Educational  Secretary  for  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  Last  fall 
I  had  a  visit  from  a  man  who  is  laying  down  a  pastorate  to  serve  the 
Southern  Baptist  Church  in  the  same  way,  and  since  Christmas 
another  pastor  has  accepted  a  like  call  from  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union. 

By  state  and  church  and  by  Foreign  Missionary  Boards  education 

86 


THE   NEED  OF  SYSTEMATIC  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  87 

is  recognized  as  too  powerful  an  ally  to  be  neglected.  If  we  ignore 
it,  we  cannot  claim  to  be  abreast  of  the  times. 

What  is  the  problem  that  the  department  of  missionary  education 
has  to  face?  I  think  that  we  shall  realize  it  more  clearly  if  we  ask 
ourselves  what  we  should  do  if  we  were  called  upon  to  take  charge 
of  a  congregation  where  the  members  knew  practically  nothing  about 
the  Bible  and  had  no  enthusiasm  for  it.  That  is  the  state  of  affairs 
in  many  a  church  as  far  as  Foreign  Missions  is  concerned.  Our  first 
move  would  undoubtedly  be  to  agitate  the  matter  and  seek  to  arouse 
interest  in  it  by  means  of  sermons,  missionary  meetings,  and  the 
circulation  of  literature.  In  other  words  we  should  begin  by  scatter- 
ing information  on  the  subject,  and  that  is  where  we  often  end  in  our 
Foreign  Missionary  propaganda.  But  we  have  too  great  appreciation 
of  the  value  of  Bible  study  to  stop  at  such  a  point.  We  realize  that 
development  results  in  proportion  to  exercise,  and  so  we  should  not 
be  satisfied  until  our  people  were  studying  the  Bible  for  themselves, 
using  it  in  their  private  devotions,  deriving  from  it  strength  for  their 
daily  lives.  It  is  not  enough  that  they  should  depend  on  the  occa- 
sional food  they  get  from  us ;  they  must  learn  to  feed  themselves  every 
day.  So  we  should  lay  great  stress  on  having  each  one  study  for 
himself.  This  is  necessary  for  growth  in  interest  in  the  Bible;  it  is 
also  necessary  for  growth  in  interest  in  missions. 

But  there  are  four  difficulties  encountered  in  such  isolated  study. 
The  first  is  the  tendency  to  postponement.  A  thing  that  we  can  do 
anytime  we  are  likely  not  to  do  at  all.  Probably  half  of  us  in  this 
audience  have  in  our  possession  letters  that  ought  to  have  been  an- 
swered long  ago,  but  which  remain  unanswered  simply  because  we 
have  been  free  to  attend  to  them  when  we  chose.  If  the  average 
person  is  merely  exhorted  to  study  the  Bible  or  the  subject  of  Foreign 
Missions,  the  chances  are  great  that  the  performance  will  be  most 
irregular. 

In  the  second  place,  individual  study  is  apt  to  be  desultory.  The 
subject  is  so  vast  that  we  do  not  know  where  to  attack  it.  I  well 
remember  the  haphazard  way  in  which  I  used  to  read  my  Bible, 
and  I  fear  that  most  men  are  equally  haphazard  in  undertaking  to 
study  the  subject  of  missions  without  guidance. 

The  third  danger  is  that  of  failure  to  secure  permanent  impressions, 
because  fve  have  no  opportunity  to  express  what  we  learn.  If  we 
wish  to  impress  a  thing,  we  must  express  it.  Use  or  lose.  Of  all  the 
things  we  have  heard  in  this  convention  we  shall  be  most  apt  to  retain 
what  we  repeat  to  someone  in  the  near  future.  There  is  a  great 
recording  angel  who  will  hover  over  us  as  we  go  back  to  our  homes 
watching  to  see  if  we  make  any  expression  and  use  of  what  we  have 
heard  here;  and  I  venture  to  say  that  if  at  the  end  of  a  week's  time 
any  man  has  not  put  into  word  or  action  some  of  the  truths  that  have 
been  spoken  from  this  platform,  the  angel  will  write  him  down  for 
what  insurance  men  would  call  a  bad  risk. 


88  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

The  fourth  danger  is  that  of  the  loss  of  enthusiasm  due  to  isola- 
tion. In  carrying  out  any  plan  of  action,  especially  if  it  requires  a 
little  effort,  we  owe  much  to  the  contagion  of  companionship  and 
example.  Our  interest  is  apt  to  wane  without  personal  encourage- 
ment. 

Now,  these  four  dangers  constitute  the  reason  why  we  may  lay 
so  much  stress  upon  the  organization  of  Bible  Classes  and  the  forma- 
tion of  Sunday  Schools.  We  do  not  consider  it  sufficient  to  form  one 
great  Bible  Class  for  the  entire  congregation.  We  recognize  that  it 
is  impossible  for  one  man  adequately  to  train  a  whole  church  in  a 
single  class.  We  understand  that  the  best  results  come  from  close 
personal  contact,  from  adaptation  to  individuals,  from  opportunities 
for  participation  by  each  member,  and  so  we  aim  to  organize  a  Bible 
School  headed  by  a  superintendent  and  manned  by  a  corps  of  teachers. 
In  a  church  where  there  were  no  teachers,  we  should  rightly  make  it 
our  first  endeavor  to  train  some,  and  we  should  put  our  best  strength 
into  a  normal  class.  If  an  interest  in  Foreign  IMissions  is  admitted 
to  be  really  necessary  in  a  church,  common  sense  would  urge  us  to 
follow  as  far  as  possible  similar  methods,  and  to  organize  classes  for 
the  systematic  study  of  missions.  Such  classes  among  adults  and 
young  people  are  recommended  by  the  Boards  of  all  our  leading 
denominations,  and  their  number  is  growing  rapidly.  And  in  the 
present  general  default  of  those  competent  to  lead  classes  we  must 
get  to  work  to  raise  up  a  body  of  teachers.  It  is  the  key  to  the  whole 
situation. 

There  are  four  great  advantages  in  arousing  missionary  interest 
connected  with  class  work.  These  are  the  converse  of  the  disad- 
vantages of  isolated  study  already  mentioned,  but  it  may  be  worth 
while  to  detail  them.  First,  the  class  gives  us  a  regular  time  for  doing 
our  work.  A  subject  is  assigned  for  a  certain  date,  and  we  shall  fall 
behind  the  others  if  we  are  not  ready  at  that  time.  With  such  a  spur 
we  are  far  less  likely  to  postpone.  In  the  second  place,  a  course  is 
definitely  mapped  out  for  us  and  a  specific  task  appointed  for  each 
meeting.  We  are  not  left  to  roam  without  guidance  over  a  whole  vast 
field,  but  led  to  take  up  in  logical  order  the  different  phases  of  a  single 
subject.  Knowledge  is  worth  far  more  to  us  when  acquired  systemati- 
cally. The  third  advantage  is  that  we  are  given  opportunity  for 
expression.  Meeting  in  small  groups  the  members  of  classes  can 
question  and  discuss,  and  thus  grasp  ideas  much  more  firmly  and 
permanently  than  by  merely  listening  to  the  most  eloquent  address. 
Finally,  in  class  work  we  bring  to  bear  the  influence,  which  we  are 
too  apt  to  under  rate,  of  social  contagion.  John  Henry  Newman 
once  said  that  if  he  had  to  choose  between  a  university  where  there 
were  the  most  eminent  professors  and  the  most  ample  curriculum,  but 
where  men  studied  in  isolation,  and  a  university  that  had  no  instructors 
and  po  curriculum  whatever,  but  where  men  met  freely  to  exchange 
ideas,  and  enthusiasms,  he  should  choose  the  latter.    We  owe  more 


THE   NEED  OF  SYSTEMATIC  MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  89 

than  we  realize  to  the  inspiration  of  companionship  in  any  work.  I 
beHeve  that  for  most  of  us  the  value  of  our  study  would  be  greatly 
increased  by  regular  attendance  at  the  sessions  of  a  class. 

I  wish  there  were  time  to  discuss  methods  of  work,  but  we  shall 
take  up  that  subject  in  the  conference  which  is  to  follow.  In  con- 
clusion, what  is  there  that  you  can  do  to  help  in  this  work? 

1.  You  can  undertake  to  form  in  your  local  church  a  mission 
study  class  for  the  training  of  leaders  and  workers.  We  must  secure 
our  officers  before  we  can  issue  a  general  call  for  recruits.  These 
first  classes  must  trai?i,  but  they  cannot  do  so  unless  they  make  large 
provision  for  exercise  and  self-expression.  The  Educational  De- 
partment of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  156  Fifth  Ave.,  New 
York  City,  will  be  glad  to  send  literature  explaining  the  organization 
and  conduct  of  classes. 

2.  When  leaders  have  been  prepared  we  can  organize  small 
groups  of  adults,  young  people  and  children,  meeting  weekly  for 
short  courses.  Such  work  wU  generate  an  interest  more  deep  and 
intelligent  and  permanent  than  is  possible  through  sermons  and 
missionary  meetings. 

3.  We  can  introduce  the  systematic  study  of  missions  into  the 
Sunday  School  in  one  of  several  forms,  a.  By  taking  single  classes 
over  one  of  the  courses  provided  by  the  Board.  This  is  especially  to 
be  recommended  in  classes  of  young  people  or  of  adults,  b.  By  giving 
all  the  time  on  review  Sundays  to  missionary  lessons,  c  By  intro- 
ducing short  courses  that  shall  use  part  of  the  time  of  the  lesson  for  a 
few  consecutive  Sundays,  as  has  been  done  by  the  Fifth  Avenue  Church 
of  New  York  City.  d.  By  giving  all  of  the  time  of  the  lesson  for  a 
few  weeks  to  a  short  course  of  missions,  as  has  been  done  by  several 
Sunday  Schools.  To  employ  any  of  these  schemes  successfully  we 
shall  need  teachers  with  some  knowledge  of  the  subject  and  plenty 
of  enthusiasm  for  it. 

4.  You  can  undertake  to  spread  this  work  into  other  churches. 
Union  normal  classes,  denominational  or  interdenominational,  will 
be  found  especially  useful.  The  oversight  of  this  work  is  very 
important  and  it  demands  as  much  time  as  the  superintendency  of 
the  Sunday  School. 

The  mission  study  class  is  not  a  patent  method  for  securing  results 
without  effort,  but  only  one  of  the  most  profitable  ways  of  expending 
our  effort.    Let  us  put  into  it  all  the  energy  that  it  deserves. 


Missionary  Conferences 

**They  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often  one  to  another r 


9X 


CHAIRMEN  OF  CONFERENCES 

Mission  Study  Class:  Mr.  J.  Dickey  Templeton. 

Theological  Students:  Prof.  M.  B.  Lowrie,  D.D. 

Africa:  Rev.  George  M.  Colville,  D.D. 

China:  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D. 

Chinese  and  Japanese  in  America:  Rev.  R.  T.  Bell. 

India:  Rev.  Ambrose  S.  Wight. 

Japan :  Rev.  Richard  L.  Purdy. 

Korea:  Rev.  Carey  F.  Moore. 

Persia:  Rev.  S.  S.  Hilscher. 

Philippines:  Rev.  N.  H.  Burdick. 

South  America  and  Mexico:  Rev.  Jesse  C.  Wilson. 


XV 

THE  MISSION  STUDY  CLASS 
What  is  it? — How  Organize  it? 

BY  T.  H.  p.  SAILER,  PH.  D. 
I.    WHAT  IS  IT? 

The  mission  study  class,  in  its  most  approved  and  usual  form,  is 
a  small  group  of  persons  who  meet  weekly  for  from  six  to  ten  sessions 
of  not  less  than  one  hour  each  to  study  under  a  leader  a  text-book 
relating  to  Missions,  Home  or  Foreign.  It  is  not  a  lecture,  nor  a 
program  meeting,  but  a  class  in  which  all  are  expected  to  take  part 
freely. 

It  does  not  interfere  with  any  other  agency.  It  rather  helps  to 
make  other  forms  of  missionary  efforts  more  effective.  Nothing  else 
will  so  prepare  people  to  take  really  edifying  parts  in  missionary 
meetings,  nothing  else  will  make  them  so  willing  to  serve  on  missionary 
committees  or  undertake  other  kinds  of  work  for  the  cause.  It  takes 
time,  it  is  true,  but  the  time  of  only  a  few  persons.  It  is  not  an 
additional  congregational  meeting.  It  asks  us  once  a  year,  in  the 
season  when  wc  can  best  spare  the  time,  to  join  a  group  for  a  series 
of  weekly  meetings,  held  mornings,  afternoon  or  evening,  as  shall 
be  most  convenient,  and  continuing  not  over  two  months. 

2.   ITS  PURPOSE 

The  purpose  of  the  mission  study  class  is  to  arouse  an  interest  that 
shall  be  intelligent,  intense,  permanent  and  infectious. 

It  believes  that  intelligence  lies  at  the  basis  of  a  sound  interest 
and  it  is  willing  to  spend  the  time  and  effort  needed  to  secure  intelli- 
gence. It  aims  to  do  more  than  maintain  the  present  state  of  semi- 
indifference  and  concentrates  on  a  few  in  order  to  secure  intensity. 
It  proposes  to  create  an  enthusiasm  that  shall  be  permanent  and  not 
one  rtierely  sufficient  for  an  annual  collection.  It  realizes  that  the 
great  need  after  all  is  for  those  who  can  arouse  others,  and  it  endeavors 
to  train  its  members. 

This  fourfold  purpose  must  never  be  lost  from  sight.  We  must 
never  come  together  as  a  matter  of  mere  routine,  but  always  with  the 
prayer  and  resolve  to  make  a  deep  and  permanent  impression. 

3.    ITS  REQUIREMENTS 

To  carry  out  the  purpose  just  mentioned,  it  is  evident  that  we 
shall  require  more  than  a  semi-annual  missionary  sermon  or  a  monthly 
missionary  meeting.     If  we  wish  to  become  deeply  and  intelligently 

93 


94  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

interested  in  any  secular  subject,  we  should  consider  that  we  ought 
to  have  (i)  a  good  text-book  of  the  proper  grade,  (2)  other  books  of 
reference,  (3)  some  suggestions  as  to  the  best  use  of  our  tools,  (4) 
regular  study,  (5)  opportunities  at  frequent  intervals  to  express  our- 
selves on  the  subject  and  to  discuss  it  with  others.  The  last  condition 
is  one  of  the  most  important  and  constitutes  the  argument  for  a  class. 
A  class  with  regular  sessions  keeps  its  members  up  to  time  in  their 
study,  arouses  enthusiasm  by  contact  with  others  interested  in  the 
same  subject,  and  makes  impressions  gained  in  study  more  clear  and 
deep  and  lasting  by  demanding  that  they  be  expressed  and  discussed. 
How  shall  such  a  class  be  secured? 

a.  Pusher.  The  first  thing  needed  is  an  individual  who  believes 
that  a  mission  study  class  ought  to  be  organized  and  is  willing  to  take 
some  trouble  to  secure  it.  He  should  first  approach  the  members  of 
the  missionary  committee  and  any  others  that  seem  likely  to  respond. 
He  should  avoid,  however,  those  who  are  already  so  loaded  down  with 
church  work  as  to  be  unable  to  take  hold  with  real  earnestness.  The 
thing  most  to  be  kept  in  mind  in  enlisting  members  is  the  work  to  be 
secured  from  them  as  a  result  of  the  course.  Strike  for  young  blood, 
for  possible  missionary  workers  and  leaders,  for  those  free  to  make 
their  lives  count  for  the  spread  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  but  withal 
despise  not  material  that  seems  unpromising. 

The  pusher  must  be  a  personal  worker.  He  must  put  no  confi- 
dence in  announcements  or  advertisement  or  messages  as  any  fit 
substitute  for  personal  contact.  He  must  be  enthusiastic  and  persua- 
sive, but  must  never  coax  or  worry  persons  into  joining.  He  should 
explain  fully  what  the  scheme  requires  and  what  it  promises,  laying 
stress  on  the  fact  that  it  demands  weekly  meetings  for  only  two 
months  of  the  year.  He  should  know  the  great  reasons  for  the  study 
of  missions  and  should  use  freely  the  phamphlet,  "Why  Study  Mis- 
sions?" and  the  invitation  cards,  both  of  which  may  be  obtained  from 
the  Educational  Department.  He  should  be  prepared  to  pray  out 
success. 

When  two  or  three  others  have  been  secured,  the  class  becomes  a 
possibihty. 

b.  Leader.  In  most  cases  it  is  well  to  begin  to  search  for  a  leader 
as  soon  as  the  idea  of  having  a  class  is  seriously  considered.  The 
mere  fact  that  a  leader  is  available  is  a  great  help  in  gathering  mem- 
bers. The  leader  should  always  have  at  least  three  or  four  weeks 
before  the  sessions  begin  in  which  to  prepare. 

The  necessary  qualifications  of  a  leader  are : 

1.  Deep  earnestness.  If  the  leader  is  not  thoroughly  in  earnest 
it  is  too  much  to  expect  that  any  of  the  class  will  be.  He  must  per- 
ceive clearly  the  aim  of  mission  study,  he  must  desire  honestly  to 
realize  it,  and  he  must  believe  that  God  will  give  him  results  in 
response  to  faithful  work  and  prayer. 

2.  Time  to  prepare.     Great  knowledge  is  not  nesessary.     Time 


THE  MISSION  STUDY  CLASS  95 

to  arrange  in  the  most  effective  way  what  knowledge  one  has  is 
necessary.  Leaders  of  very  moderate  ability  may  hope  to  succeed  if 
they  spend  sufficient  time  on  the  preparation  of  each  session.  A 
leader  of  the  greatest  ability  will  not  succeed  without  an  hour  or  two 
of  hard  study  each  week.  If  a  pastor  or  other  prominent  person  in 
the  church  is  too  busy  to  give  regular  and  unhurried  preparation  to 
each  session,  he  should  not  be  invited  to  lead. 

3.  Teaching  ability.  This  demands  some  natural  gifts,  but  is 
mainly  a  matter  of  patient  practice.  The  natural  gifts  are  a  sympa- 
thetic tone,  the  ability  to  make  a  clear  statement  and  the  ability  to 
draw  people  out,  all  of  which  reduces  to  the  ability  to  put  one's  self  in 
the  place  of  others.  A  leader  who  can  become  heartily  interested  in 
the  opinions  and  feelings  of  each  member  of  the  class  will  have  little 
trouble  in  drawing  them  out.  Avoid  leaders  whose  only  method  of 
imparting  truth  is  to  lecture  or  preach,  who  are  unsympathetic  and 
heavy  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  question. 

Fidelity  in  preparation  and  tact  in  guiding  the  class  may  succeed 
even  if  there  is  little  knowledge  of  the  subject  or  of  teaching  methods. 
Mission  study  is  not  the  diversion  of  a  single  season,  however,  but  a 
feature  of  church  work  that  we  wish  to  make  permanent,  and  with  the 
future  in  view  nothing  is  more  important  than  to  train  well-equipped 
leaders.  If  no  leader  of  experience  can  be  had,  the  first  class  should 
be  devoted  mainly  to  the  purpose  of  training  one  or  more.  It  should 
be  small,  composed  of  sympathetic  workers  who  wish  to  learn  some- 
thing of  method,  as  well  as  of  the  subject  and  who  will  take  every 
opportunity  to  practice  on  one  another.  Such  a  class  would  be  in 
many  churches  the  most  hopeful  beginning  that  mission  study  could 
possibly  have.  Persons  who  have  acquired  experience  must  be 
followed  up  in  the  future  and  made  to  utilize  it  in  leading  new  classes. 

The  best  plan  is  for  each  class  to  have  a  single  leader,  so  that 
the  practice  gained  in  one  session  may  be  turned  to  account  in  the 
next.  Two  persons  working  in  close  touch  may  do  well,  but  dividing 
the  sessions  among  several  leaders  is  not  to  be  recommended. 

A  class  secretary,  who  looks  up  absent  members  and  sends  them 
the  assignments  of  the  lesson,  and  does  lookout  work  generally,  is  a 
valuable  aid.  An  active  librarian,  who  finds  out  what  books  are 
needed,  brings  them  to  the  class  sessions,  hands  those  needed  for 
reference  to  the  members  who  have  been  assigned  papers  and  circu- 
lates the  more  readable  books  among  the  other  members,  can  be  a 
source  of  blessing  hardly  second  to  a  good  leader. 

c.  Course.  The  course  must  be  chosen  early,  if  possible  two  or 
three  months  in  advance,  in  order  to  give  the  leader  plenty  of  time 
in  which  to  prepare.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  course  selected 
by  vote  of  the  entire  class.  We  ought  to  study  all  of  the  great  mission 
fields  and  the  order  in  which  we  take  them  up  is  a  matter  of  little 
importance.  The  subject  on  which  the  best  text-book  and  helps  are 
available  will  usually  be  best.     A  knowledge  of  Africa  will  increase 


96  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

and  not  lessen  our  interest  in  India  and  China  and  Home  Missions, 
as  it  helps  us  to  realize  God's  purpose  for  the  whole  world.  The 
Educational  Secretary  of  your  Board  will  be  glad  to  consult  with  you 
on  the  subject. 

d.  Members.  The  quality  of  the  membership  depends  mainly 
on  the  activity  and  personal  contact  of  the  pusher.  As  stated  above 
those  most  likely  to  take  hold  earnestly  should  be  approached  first. 
It  is  often  well  to  solicit  some  person  who  has  an  influence  over  a 
circle  of  others  and  to  use  the  name  as  an  advertisement.  Avoid 
those  incapable  of  strenuousness. 

Classes  should  be  small.  Few  leaders  can  do  justice  to  more 
than  twelve  members  at  once.  Six  is  an  ideal  number  for  a  working 
class,  if  they  all  attend  regularly.  Rather  than  attempt  to  carry  over 
fifteen  members,  it  would  be  well  to  divide  into  two  classes  or  to  per- 
suade some  to  wait  until  later  in  the  year  when  the  course  would  be 
repeated  for  them. 

The  requirements  of  active  membership  are  regular  attendance, 
barring  accidents,  and  study  of  the  assigned  lesson  for  at  least  one  hour 
each  week.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  each  member  shall  own  a 
text-book,  except  where  two  or  more  live  in  the  same  household. 
Remember  that  some  may  refuse  to  join  from  sheer  timidity,  and 
therefore  be  encouraging,  but  do  not  wreck  the  class  by  admitting 
those  who  have  no  intention  of  fulfilling  the  requirements.  The 
latter  may  be  invited  to  attend  as  visitors  and  may  later  be  persuaded 
to  become  regular  members. 

e.  Meetings.  These  should  be  separate  from  any  other  meeting 
except  under  the  most  desperate  circumstances.  If  not,  they  are 
almost  sure  to  be  cramped  for  time  or  swamped  by  non-workers. 
They  should  meet  weekly  in  order  to  maintain  interest  most  effectively. 
Between  sessions  occurring  less  frequently  the  thread  of  connection 
and  spirit  of  enthusiasm  is  apt  to  be  lost.  Eight  meetings  once  a 
week  consume  no  more  time  than  eight  meetings  of  the  same  length 
once  a  month  and  are  far  more  profitable.  Besides,  attendance  is 
more  apt  to  be  regular.  Frequent  meetings  may  be  said  to  be 
essential  to  the  purpose  of  a  mission  study  class.  They  should  be  of 
sufficient  length.  Many  of  the  best  classes  have  given  an  hour  and  a 
half  to  each  session.  It  is  none  too  much  and  often  proves  too  little. 
An  hour  should  be  the  minimum  limit. 

Most  of  the  text-books  contain  either  six  or  eight  chapters  and 
it  has  become  a  convention  to  cover  one  chapter  at  each  recitation. 
With  so  few  meetings  much  must  be  omitted,  but  it  is  usually  better, 
especially  in  a  first  attempt,  to  plan  a  short  course.  Members  can 
be  secured  more  easily  and  will  be  willing  to  attend  more  regularly 
for  eight  meetings  than  for  twenty.  If  a  class  is  organized  early  in 
October  it  can  complete  ten  sessions  before  the  Christmas  holidays. 
Members  should  be  made  clearly  to  understand  that  the  course  to 
which  they  are  invited  will  be  over  in  about  two  months. 


THE  MISSION  STUDY  CLASS  97 

/.  Library.  The  value  of  the  course  will  be  greatly  increased 
by  books  for  reference  and  general  circulation.  To  accompany 
several  of  the  text-books,  small  reference  libraries  have  been  issued, 
sold  at  figures  far  below  the  list  prices.  If  a  class  can  purchase  one 
of  these  it  will  be  a  fine  addition  to  the  missionary  library  of  the  society 
or  church  after  the  course  is  over.  With  a  little  effort  the  librarian 
may  collect  from  various  sources  other  helpful  books.  Classes 
unable  to  obtain  more  than  the  text-books  may  yet  have  very  profit- 
able sessions. 

g.  Accessories.  Quite  as  important  for  each  member  as  the  text- 
book is  a  note  book  in  which  to  record  the  assignment  of  the  lessons, 
the  results  of  study  and  other  points  of  value  brought  out  in  the  dis- 
cussions. The  text-book  represents  what  the  class  have  swallowed; 
their  note-books  what  they  have  digested.  A  blackboard,  or  white- 
board made  of  large  sheets  of  paper,  is  useful.  For  some  sessions  a 
wall-map  will  be  needed ;  for  others,  rough  charts,  to  bring  out  clearly 
special  points  of  comparison. 

4.   ITS  METHODS 

In  preparing  and  in  applying  our  methods  in  a  mission  study 
class  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  we  never  lose  sight  of  our 
purpose.  We  wish  to  create  impressions  that  shall  be  intelligently 
grasped,  intense,  lasting  and  fruitful.  We  shall  need  selection  and 
arrangement  of  material  on  the  part  of  the  leader  and  active  partici- 
pation on  the  part  of  the  class. 

a.  Selection  and  arrangement  of  material.  The  text-book  usually 
offers  in  a  single  chapter  many  more  impressions  than  we  can  hope 
to  make  deep  and  permanent.  We  must  therefore  concentrate  on  a 
few  of  these  and  omit  the  rest.  It  is  a  common  mistake  of  inexperienced 
leaders  to  load  up  with  an  amount  of  material  that  even  a  practiced 
teacher  could  not  hope  properly  to  impress  within  the  time  limits. 
One  of  the  main  reasons  for  thorough  reviews  is  that  the  leader  may 
discover  whether  or  not  he  has  been  giving  the  class  more  material 
than  they  can  digest.  Select  only  a  few  impressions.  If  we  must 
limit  ourselves  to  a  few  impressions,  it  is  the  more  important  that  these 
few  should  be  vital.  They  must  be  such  as  will  help  us  to  feel  keenly 
the  need  of  those  who  are  without  Christ  and  our  responsibility  for 
them  in  the  sight  of  God. 

In  the  third  place,  the  points  we  select  should  be  well  connected 
and  supported.  It  is  easier  to  remember  two  things  in  their  connec- 
tion with  each  other  than  either  of  them  by  itself.  It  is  well  to  select 
for  each  session  a  central  aim  and  to  choose  for  impression  only 
points  that  are  closely  related  to  it  and  to  each  other.  The  recitation 
must  have  unify.  Many  leaders  skip  about  from  one  point  to  another 
without  stopping  to  think  of  the  relation  between  them  and  conse- 
quently they  never  build  up  any  strong  impressions.  The  leader 
should  also  reflect  what  there  is  in  connection  with  each  topic  that 
will  appeal  to  the  imagination,  feelings  and  conscience  of  the  class. 


98  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

The  most  powerful  impressions  are  made  when  these  faculties  have 
been  stirred.  Select  such  facts  and  only  such  as  will  strengthen  your 
impressions. 

b.  The  participation  on  the  part  0}  the  class.  After  all,  the  most 
necessary  thing  in  education  is  self-activity.  The  most  perfect  selec- 
tion and  arrangement  of  material  on  the  part  of  the  leader  will  not 
yield  the  best  results  if  the  class  sit  passive.  We  shall  get  no  strength 
by  merely  watching  a  g}Tnnasium  instructor;  we  must  try  to  imitate 
him.  The  work  of  the  leader  in  a  word,  is  to  plan  for  the  most  profit- 
able exercise  by  the  class  and  to  see  that  they  secure  it.  See  that  each 
member  of  the  class  gets  plenty  of  exercise. 

At  each  session  work  should  be  carefully  assigned  for  the  next 
meeting.  The  questions  for  discussion  should  be  given  to  the  entire 
class  so  that  all  may  be  prepared  to  take  intelligent  part,  but  special 
tasks  in  the  shape  of  papers  or  talks  or  the  construction  of  charts  may 
be  given  to  indi\aduals.  Leaders  should  encourage  the  free  use  of 
paper  and  pencil  in  the  preparation  of  the  lesson. 

When  they  come  together  the  members  must  have  plenty  of 
opportunities  for  expression.  "No  impression  without  expression," 
js  a  primary  rule  of  teaching.  The  only  way  by  which  we  can  be 
sure  that  our  members  are  clinching  their  impressions  is  to  require 
that  they  express  them  in  the  recitation.  But  remember  that  of  all 
forms  of  expression  the  least  valuable  is  that  which  exercises  memor}' 
alone,  the  most  valuable  that  which  rests  on  judgment,  imagination 
and  feeling  as  well.  This  means  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  ask  questions 
that  call  for  only  a  repetition  of  the  statement  of  the  text-book.  In- 
stead of  this,  members  should  be  required  to  give  their  opinions,  to 
picture  situations,  to  express  their  feelings — in  short  to  think.  Re- 
quire free  expression  of  opinion  and  feeling. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  is  evident  that  the  best  results  will 
not  be  obtained  from  a  lecture,  nor  from  a  set  of  papers,  nor  from  a 
memory  catechism,  but  from  a  discussion  of  questions  that  have  been 
assigned  in  advance  and  prepared  by  the  entire  class.  Supplementary 
questions  by  the  leader  will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  discussion  mov- 
ing and  to  steer  it  in  the  proper  channels,  and  in  this  consists  the 
highest  art  of  teaching.  These  questions  should  be  thought  out  in 
advance,  in  order  that  they  may  be  perfectly  clear,  interesting  and 
to  the  point.  They  should  not  be  left  to  the  inspiration  of  the  moment. 
Impressions  are  best  treated  by  free  but  carefully  steered  discussions. 

Now,  the  real  value  of  all  these  statements  lies  in  their  application. 
It  is  not  enough  to  read  and  understand  them  if  we  do  not  patiently 
apply  them  in  our  work.  Many  things  that  have  been  said  will  have 
for  the  leader  an  entirely  new  meaning  when  he  puts  them  into  actual 
practice.  Not  everything  need  be  attempted  at  once,  but  the  prin- 
ciples mentioned  above  are  so  fundamental  that  none  of  them  can 
be  omitted  without  loss  of  efficiency. 

A  typical  session.     The  class  gathers  around  a  large  table  in  a 


I 


THE  MISSION  STUDY  CLASS  99 

private  house  or  church  parlor  shortly  before  eight  o'clock.  On  the 
wall  hangs  a  large  map  and  a  chart,  and  on  a  blackboard  is  written 
the  aim  of  the  recitation.  Books  obtained  by  the  librarian  for  refer- 
ence and  circulation  lie  on  the  table. 

As  the  hour  strikes  the  leader  reads  a  passage  of  Scripture  and 
offers  a  brief  prayer.  He  then  dictates  the  assignment  of  the  next 
lesson  which  the  class  take  do^vn  carefully  in  their  note-books.  Five 
minutes  are  then  spent  in  informal  questions  as  to  the  best  way  to 
prepare  the  lesson,  after  which  the  leader  calls  on  two  members  to 
read  one-minute  summaries  of  the  principle  points  brought  out  at 
the  last  meeting.  Fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  are  now  given  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  a  review  question  which  was  assigned  the  week  previous. 
The  leader  first  asks  one  of  the  class  to  state  clearly  the  question  to  be 
discussed,  and  then  calls  on  two  or  three  other  members  in  turn  for 
their  opinions.  His  manner  is  sympathetic  and  encouraging,  and 
instead  of  criticising  the  views  expressed  he  asks  further  questions 
which  help  the  members  to  supplement  and  criticise  them  for  them- 
selves. One  rather  long-winded  member  starts  a  digression,  but  the 
leader  courteously  replies  that  there  is  not  time  to  enter  upon  that  point 
just  now,  and  by  careful  steering  draws  from  the  class  the  principal 
points  of  the  subject  within  the  time  limit.  In  the  closing  minute  a 
member  is  asked  by  way  of  summary  to  read  the  notes  taken  while 
the  discussion  was  in  progress. 

By  twenty-five  minutes  of  nine,  the  class  is  ready  to  turn  to  the 
advance  lesson.  The  first  question  assigned  is  stated  and  treated 
in  the  same  way  as  the  review  question.  More  obvious  sides  of  the 
topic  are  drawn  from  two  or  three  members  who  are  less  acute  than 
the  others  and  more  apt  to  be  embarassed.  No  member  is  allowed 
to  remain  long  in  silence.  At  times  the  class  discuss  spontaneously 
and  then  the  leader  wisely  holds  his  peace,  only  interposing  to  keep 
them  on  the  main  track;  at  other  times  the  discussion  flags,  and  then 
the  questioning  powers  of  the  leader  are  taxed.  He  docs  not  hesitate 
to  attack  the  views  of  the  members  in  a  good-natured  way  in  order 
to  stir  them  up  in  defence.  After  fifteen  minutes,  a  paper  bearing 
on  the  question  just  discussed  is  called  for  and  the  class  are  now 
prepared  to  listen  with  interest  to  viev/s  of  authorities  whom  the 
writer  of  the  paper  has  consulted. 

In  order  to  give  some  practice  in  teaching,  the  conduct  of  the 
discussion  on  the  next  question  has  been  assigned  at  the  previous 
meeting  to  one  of  the  members.  It  is  not  so  well  done  as  the  leader 
could  do  it,  but  the  class  appreciate  the  difficulties  of  a  first  attempt 
and  respond  sympathetically.  For  the  discussion  of  the  third  and 
last  question  the  leader  resumes  control.  Since  the  second  paper 
presents  material  not  given  in  the  text-book  but  with  a  bearing  on 
the  question  under  consideration,  it  is  given  before-hand.  To  im- 
press the  point  of  this  paper  the  chart  is  used.  The  map  has  already 
been  appealed  to  several  times  during  the  evening. 


lOO  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

The  material  has  been  arranged  so  that  the  aim  of  the  recitation 
has  been  steadily  realized.  In  not  more  than  two  minutes  the  leader 
calls  attention  to  the  progress  of  the  argument  and  the  session  closes 
with  two  or  three  brief  prayers  by  the  class  that  show  that  their 
feelings  have  been  stirred.  Sharp  at  9:30  everything  is  over  and 
after  a  little  social  conversation  the  members  depart. 

On  another  evening  twenty-five  minutes  is  spent  in  a  debate  on 
a  question  adapted  to  this  purpose.  The  eight  members  are  assigned 
their  sides  at  the  preceding  meeting.  Each  in  turn  is  allowed  two 
minutes  for  an  opening  talk  and  one  minute  on  the  second  round. 
The  order  of  speaking  is  set  do\vn  on  the  blackboard  and  the  leader 
holds  a  watch  and  cuts  off  each  speaker  sharp  on  time  so  that  things 
are  kept  in  a  state  of  tension.  The  principal  points  scored  by  each 
side  are  summarized  on  the  blackboard  as  they  are  brought  forth  in 
order  to  avoid  repetition  and  enable  the  opponents  to  see  clearly  what 
they  must  attack. 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  meetings  has  depended  on  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  material  and  preparation  of  suggestive  questions  by  the 
leader,  much  of  faithful  work  and  free  participation  on  the  part  of 
the  class,  but  all  these  have  been  only  vehicles  for  great  burning  ideas 
that  have  thus  had  free  access  to  the  minds  and  consciences  of  the 
members. 

As  the  sessions  continue  the  earnestness  of  the  leader  becomes 
more  infectious  and  his  prayers  are  answered  when  several  of  the 
members  volunteer  at  the  close  of  the  course  to  lead  classes  themselves. 


XVI 

CONFERENCE  ON  AFRICA 

BY  REV.  J.  S.  CUNNINGHAM 

The  West  African  Mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  six 
main  stations:     Baraka,  Benito,  Batanga,  Efulen,  Elat  and  Lolodorf. 

We  shall  go  direct  to  Africa,  right  to  the  Equator  on  the  west 
coast;  we  shall  enter  a  small  sail  boat  and  sail  north  for  twelve  miles 
and  that  will  bring  us  to  Baraka  Station,  near  the  town  of  Liberville, 
in  the  Congo  Francais,  under  the  rule  of  the  French.  Leaving 
Baraka,  we  sail  still  north  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  for  nearly  one  hun- 
dred miles  and  that  brings  us  to  Benito,  which  is  under  the  government 
of  Spain.  Between  Baraka  and  Benito  we  have  three  churches;  the 
Mbiko  Church,  the  Corsico  Church,  and  the  Hanje  Church.  We 
enter  the  sail  boat  again  and  sail  north  for  nearly  another  hundred 
miles  and  that  brings  us  to  Batanga,  our  third  station  on  the  coast,  in 
the  German  Kamarun,  under  the  rule  of  the  Germans.  Between 
Benito  and  Batanga  we  have  four  churches;  Bata,  Evune,  Myuma, 
Ubenji.  Our  field  extends  twelve  miles  north  of  Batanga,  and  in 
that  territory  we  have  another  church  called  Kribi.  All  of  these 
churches  are  supplied  by  the  native  ministers,  licentiates  and  local 
evangelists.  The  churches  of  Baraka,  Benito  and  Batanga,  are 
supplied  by  the  missionaries  from  America. 

I  shall  leave  Dr.  Weber  to  tell  you  about  Efulen,  Elat  and  Lolo- 
dorf, and  I  shall  tell  you  the  two  best  things  that  I  was  enabled  under 
God  to  do  in  the  Gaboon  Church  at  Baraka  station,  in  the  few 
minutes  I  have  to  speak.  When  we  reached  Baraka  in  the  end  of 
1 901,  we  found  a  church  organization.  That  year  they  gave  the 
sum  of  $58.00.  There  were  ninety-eight  members  in  the  church. 
At  the  first  session  meeting  the  elders  and  myself  debated  the  question 
of  supporting  in  full  the  native  preacher.  We  came  to  a  decision  to 
try  it,  so  Elder  Sonie  and  myself  were  appointed  to  visit  every  member 
of  the  church  to  see  what  they  would  do  in  the  matter.  They  pledged 
sums  from  one  cent  to  twenty  cents  per  week.  These  pledges  were 
redeemed,  and  at  the  close  of  1902  the  amount  given  reached  the 
sum  of  $93.00.  In  1903  they  gave  $103.00.  In  1904  the  sum  given 
was  $127.00,  and  in  1905  it  reached  $129.00. 

Each  person  that  confesses  Jesus  Christ  is  asked  by  the  session 
to  support  the  work,  and  their  pledge  is  recorded.  We  found  also 
in  1901  a  Woman's  Missionary  Society  which  gave  $10.75  that  year. 
In  1902  they  gave  $18.50.  In  1903  they  gave  $31.00.  In  1904  the 
sum  of  $41.00,  and  in  1905  the  sum  of  $33.00  which  is  a  little  less 
than  their  gift  in  1904.     During  1905  I  established  a  monthly  con- 

101 


I02  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

cert  for  missions.  Once  a  month  on  a  Sabbath  evening  we 
would  have  a  missionary  meeting  which  was  always  well  attended. 
We  took  up  an  offering  for  missions,  and  that  reached  $21.00  for  the 
first  year.  Adding  the  church  offerings  and  the  women's  offering, 
and  the  monthly  offering  for  missions,  gives  you  the  sum  of  $183.00 
for  1905.  Now  what  do  we  do  with  this  money?  We  support  the 
native  preacher  who  is  now  in  charge  of  the  Gaboon  Church,  paying 
him  $7.00  per  month,  or  $84.00  per  year.  Then  we  take  one  of  the 
members  of  the  church  and  send  him  out  among  a  lower  tribe  than 
themselves,  paying  him  $5.00  per  month,  or  $60.00  per  year.  Then 
we  send  $10.00  to  the  American  Bible  Society  as  a  thank  offering  for 
the  word  of  God  in  the  Mpongive  tongue.  So  the  Gaboon  Church  is 
not  only  a  self-supporting,  but  also  a  self-propagating  church. 

The  native  minister  who  receives  $84.00  per  year,  gives  back  to 
the  Lord  the  sum  of  $10.40  per  year,  or  twenty  cents  each  week. 
You  notice  that  he  gives  a  little  more  than  a  tenth.  He  realizes  that 
the  tithe  is  the  Lord's,  that  it  is  a  debt  he  owes  him,  and  that  he  never 
gives  until  he  gives  beyond  that  which  he  owes.  If  ever}'  member 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  to  tithe  his  income,  six  million  dollars 
would  soon  fill  the  treasury  of  the  Board  and  then  we  would  have 
such  blessings  from  God  that  young  men  and  women  would  arise 
and  go  to  the  front  of  battle  and  thus  the  world  would  be  evangelized 
in  this  our  own  day  and  generation. 

The  second  thing  that  I  promised  to  tell  you,  is  the  training  for 
the  gospel  ministry  of  Bodumba  Ibia  and  Ntyuakero,  two  natives  of 
Africa.  Both  of  these  young  men  are  married.  They  had  been 
trained  up  in  the  Mission  School  and  thus  were  ready  to  go  higher. 
I  taught  them  for  four  years  and  it  was  a  great  joy  to  me  to  see  both 
of  these  men  expand  and  grow  into  good  strong  men.  They  were 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presbyter^'  of  Corisco  in  Decem- 
ber, 1905.  Ntyuakero  presented  a  sermon  to  Presbytery  on  "Justifi- 
cation by  Faith,"  which  was  pronounced  fine  by  the  Presbytery. 
Ntyuakero  is  a  born  teacher.  It  was  a  delight  to  see  him  teach  his 
class.  He  kept  them  on  the  jump  all  the  time.  He  was  interesting. 
When  we  were  studying  theology,  they  objected  to  a  statement  of  mine, 
namely,  that  God  saved  sinners  where  they  stood.  I  showed  them 
from  the  word  of  God  such  cases  as  Zaccheus,  Lydia,  and  the  Philip- 
pian  jailer.  Ntyuakero  was  to  preach  the  following  Sabbath  on  this 
text:  "For  ye  were  sometime  darkness,  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the 
Lord;  walk  as  children  of  light."  He  divided  his  text  into  three 
heads,  viz.:  Past  Life.  Present  Life.  Future  Life.  We  three 
prayed  that  God  would  save  someone  on  the  spot  on  the  Sabbath. 
When  the  Sabbath  arrived,  Ntyuakero  preached.  He  was  earnest 
and  enthusiastic.  He  held  his  audience  from  start  to  finish  and 
swayed  them  to  and  fro.  I  have  never  heard  the  darkness  of  heathen- 
dom depicted  as  this  brother  did  it.  Then  he  made  the  light  of  the 
new  life  to  shine  forth.     He  made  Jesus  Christ  attractive,  and  at  the 


CONFERENCE  ON   AFRICA  I03 

close  of  the  service  two  persons  took  their  stand  for  Jesus  Christ, 
thus  proving  that  God  does  save  sinners  where  they  stand. 

Bodumba  Ibia  had  for  a  sermon  before  Presbytery,  "The  Human 
and  the  Divine  in  Jesus  Christ."  He  handled  it  well.  It  was  orderly 
and  logical.  He  delivered  it  before  Presbytery  and  Presbytery  was 
much  pleased  with  it.  Presbytery  sent  him  to  be  Stated  Supply  of 
the  Corisco  Church.  In  one  year  he  has  brought  that  church  up  to 
self-support.  In  a  letter  to  me  two  months  ago,  he  says:  "The  church 
is  still  doing  well  along  the  line  of  giving,  but  I  will  never  be  satisfied 
until  they  support  a  missionary  of  their  own."  Both  of  these  young 
men  are  fully  persuaded  that  Africa,  if  it  is  to  be  won  for  Christ,  must 
be  won  by  the  African  himself. 


XVII 
AFRICA'S  OPEN  DOOR 

BY  DR.  H.  L.  WEBER 

The  African  people  may  well  be  divided  into  two  great  classes,  viz. : 

1.  Those  that  have  never  come  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  know  absolulety  nothing  about  the  Way  of 
Salvation,  and, 

2.  Those  that  have  at  some  time  in  their  lives  heard  of  Christ,  or 
those  who  live  within  the  regions  where  the  gospel  and  Christ. are 
known. 

Let  us  consider  this  afternoon  both  of  these  classes  and  learn 
their  actual  conditions,  with  particular  reference  as  to  whether  or  not 
Africa  and  the  Africans  are  ready  for  the  gospel. 

Class  I.  It  so  came  about  three  years  ago  at  this  time  that  another 
missionary  and  myself  found  ourselves  upon  a  journey  through  a 
region  of  country,  about  a  degree  and  a  half  north  of  the  Equator, 
where  no  white  man  had  ever  been  before.  We  left  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  at  daylight  one  morning,  nearly  midway  between  our  two 
coast  stations  of  Batanga  and  Benko,  and  went  almost  directly  east 
toward  the  heart  of  Africa,  and,  before  the  first  day's  journey  on  foot 
had  been  completed  we  began  to  get  among  j)eople  who  had  never 
seen  a  white  man,  nor  heard  of  the  white  man's  God.  But  15  miles 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  finding  men  and  women  who  had  never 
heard  of  God  and  of  Christ,  was  indeed  a  surprise  to  me,  but  as  we 
pressed  on  day  after  day,  the  greater  surprise  and  wonder  to  me  was  not 
that  they  were  without  the  gospel,  but  it  was  the  constant  appeal  that 
came  into  our  ears,  for  what?  What,  I  say,  was  that  constant 
appeal?  It  was:  "Tell  us  the  news  of  God."  It  truly  seemed  that 
every  one  that  we  met  asked  us  this  question,  and  if  you  could  have 
seen  the  great  crowds  of  people  gather  about  us  and  follow  us  along 
the  rough  path  that  they  might  hear  "The  news  of  God,"  as  they 
called  it  (why !  they  spoke  of  it  just  as  you  and  I  do  of  the  latest  daily 
news  of  the  world  that  we  read  in  our  morning  papers),  your  hearts 
would  certainly  have  been  moved  with  compassion  because  these 
people  had  been  so  long  without  even  a  knowledge  erf  God.  And 
with  what  intense  interest  they  listened  to  every  word  that  fell  from 
the  lips  of  the  missionary!  As  they  listened  they  would  hear  some- 
thing about  God,  or  about  Christ  and  what  He  came  to  this  world 
for,  and  immediately  each  person  in  this  new  and  strange  audience 
would  turn  to  his  or  her  neighbor  sitting  nearest  and  repeat  the  fact 
or  truth,  fearing  lest  he  had  not  heard  this  wonderful  "News." 
Such,  starved  souls  I  had  never  seen. 

104 


AFRICA'S    OPEN  DOOR  lOS 

Day  after  day  we  traveled  to  the  east,  constantly  and  painfully 
realizing  the  fact  that  here  were  thousands  upon  thousands  of  people 
who  were  without  a  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  yet  who  were  actually 
starving  to  death  spiritually,  because  of  a  lack  of  a  knowledge  of  God- 
It  was  about  the  tenth  day,  I  believe,  that  we  drew  into  a  rather  large 
sized  town  in  the  afternoon  and  we  stopped  at  the  Palaver  House  to 
rest  and  tell  them  about  God.  The  quick  eye  of  my  companion  fell 
upon  a  little  piece  of  bamboo  hanging  from  the  thatch  roof,  and  in 
this  little  bamboo  stick  were  seven  holes  and  in  one  of  these  holes 
was  a  little  peg,  and  turning  to  me  he  said,  "Well  these  people  here 
have  some  knowledge  of  God  from  some  source  for  they  have 
a  calendar."  When  these  people  were  asked  where  they  had 
heard  about  God,  they  told  us  that  more  than  two  and  a  half  years 
before  this,  that  a  native  had  passed  through  their  town  and  had  told 
them  what  he  had  heard  one  night  as  he  had  stopped  in  a  town  three 
days  distant  to  the  north  where  he  had  happened  to  stay  while  upon 
a  journey,  and  that  very  same  night  there  had  happened  in  that  town 
a  missionary  who  told  them  about  God  and  God's  day  and  what  it 
meant  to  believe  in  God  and  what  the  reward  of  their  faith  would  be. 
They  said,  "Since  that  man  told  us  those  things  about  God,  we  put 
up  this  little  calendar  and  upon  God's  day  we  try  to  do  all  that  he 
told  us  to  do.  We  try  to  think  of  God  upon  this  day,  we  try  to  keep 
our  women  from  working  upon  His  day,  we  try  to  talk  with  Him,  and 
we  try  to  keep  our  bodies  clean."  Mr.  Johnston  said  to  them, 
"What  day  of  the  week  is  it  by  your  calendar?"  and  one  of  the  men 
looking  at  it  said,  "It  is  three  night's  from  God's  day."  They  count 
time  by  nights,  and  my  companion  turning  to  me  said,  "They  have  the 
right  day  of  the  week  upon  their  calendar."  For  more  than  two 
years  and  a  half  these  people  had  been  faithful  in  their  trust  upon  God, 
and  they  had  removed  each  morning  the  little  peg  one  hole  lower 
until  the  end  of  the  week  was  reached  then  back  at  the  top  went  the 
little  peg  and  another  week  was  begun.  Dear  friends,  just  think  of 
these  people  just  having  one  little  glimpse  of  God  and  that  from  a 
man  who  had  heard  the  word  of  God  but  once  in  his  life,  and  yet 
they  had  been  faithful  and  had  lived  up  to  all  the  Light  that  they  had 
had.  What  would  you  say  of  the  people  that  are  outside  of  the 
regions  where  the  gospel  is  being  preached?  Are  they  ready  for 
Christ  or  not?  Those  poor  souls  all  along  that  path  that  we  traveled 
and  who  held  out  their  hands  to  us  to  be  fed  with  the  Bread  of  Life, 
and  who  begged  us  to  remain  with  them  and  tell  them  more  about 
Christ,  what  would  you  say  of  these  people,  arc  they  ready  for  Christ? 
What  then  would  you  say  of  the  regions  beyond? 

Let  us  look  just  a  moment  at  those  within  the  range  of  the  gospel 
and  see  their  condition,  with  particular  reference  as  to  whether  they 
are  satisfied  with  the  amount  of  their  knowledge  of  Christ  or  not. 
Let  us  take  our  interior  schools  as  representative  of  the  people  who 
have  come  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel,  and  what  do  we  'find? 


Io6  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

These  boys  (and  a  few  girls)  come  from  a  great  many  minor  divisions 
of  the  Great  Bulu  Tribe,  and  nearly  all  of  them  because  they  have 
heard  at  least  something  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  representing  their  own 
people  who  have  come  within  gospel  influences.  The  latest  word  I 
had  from  the  Efulen  Station  School  there  were  293  upon  the  roll  and 
in  actual  attendance.  In  the  Elat  Station  School  there  v/ere  more 
than  425  upon  their  roll  there.  At  Lolodorf  there  were  208  in  school. 
Ask  if  you  will  why  these  boys  come  to  school,  and  many  of  them  from 
long,  long  distances  too,  and  you  might  find  as  we  did  a  little  more 
than  a  year  ago  when  the  question  was  put  to  them  as  to  "The  thing 
that  they  most  wanted  in  this  world"  and  back  from  93  per  cent  of 
them  came  the  answer  in  writing  "We  want  more  of  Christ  in  our 
lives."  And  what  would  you  say  of  the  condition  of  the  people  from 
whom  these  boys  come  when  I  tell  you  that  I  know  of  boy  after  boy 
that  has  upon  his  vacation  time  in  his  town  been  the  means  in  the 
hands  of  God  of  leading  nearly  all  the  people  in  his  tovm  to  Christ. 
I  know  one  boy  who  at  the  age  of  about  eleven  won  his  town  for  Christ. 
He  is  one  of  many.  When  I  gave  you  those  figures  of  the  number  of 
boys  in  our  schools  at  the  present  time  I  neglected  to  state  that  we 
cannot  begin  to  accomodate  the  numbers  that  come  seeking  admis- 
sion in  our  schools,  and  to  the  overflow,  (may  I  call  those  that  can- 
not get  into  the  school  because  of  a  lack  of  room  and  of  energy  upon 
the  part  of  the  teacher)  we  say  "We  feel  very  badly  boys  because  we  can 
not  take  you  all  in  but  our  strength  is  limited  and  we  can  only  handle 
about  so  many,  but  if  you  are  in  dead  earnest,  you  go  back  to  your 
towns  and  get  your  people  interested  in  this  school  palaver,  and  get 
them  to  provide  a  schoolhouse,  and  a  house  for  the  teacher,  and 
provide  a  salary  for  the  teacher,  and  when  you  have  done  all  this  we 
will  send  you  someone  to  teach  this  school."  Let  me  say  that  we 
are  having  difiiiculty  in  providing  teachers  for  these  out  schools.  It 
seems  to  me  that  this  is  a  mighty  step  for  this  people,  the  first  time 
that  they  are  put  upon  their  feet  to  find  that  they  are  walking.  That 
looks  to  me  like  self-support  and  what  more  does  the  church  at  home 
wish?  In  one  of  these  out  schools  from  Lolodorf  Station  with  an 
enrollment  of  56  there  was  an  average  attendance  of  54  for  the  term. 
What  would  you  say  about  the  interest  manifested  by  the  people 
who  have  come  in  touch  with  Jesus  Christ?  Are  they  ready  for  more 
or  are  they  indifferent  to  the  gospel? 

The  African  problem  is  no  longer  a  problem  that  must  be  met  in 
Africa  but  right  here  in  this  country.  The  missionaries  cannot  begin 
to  do  all  the  work  that  floods  in  upon  them.  More  laborers  are 
needed  to  gather  in  the  harvest  of  souls,  for  the  fields  are  indeed 
ripe.  Just  one  word  about  the  medical  work  in  Africa  and  I  am 
through.  Just  let'  me  say  that  the  medical  work  is  entirely  self- 
supporting,  and  by  that  I  mean  that  the  natives  buy  the  medicines 
that  they  need,  and  there  is  no  policy  of  "giving  away"  medicine  (or 
anything  else)  and  thus  pauperizing  the  people. 


AFRICA'S   OPEN    DOOR  I07 

What  the  people  in  this  land  must  realize  is  the  "open  door" 
that  now  exists  in  Africa,  and  the  great  problem  of  Evangelizing 
Africa  in  this  generation  is  up  to  the  church  in  this  country,  and  more 
than  that  it  can  be  easily  done  if  the  people  at  home  will  awake  to 
their  destinct  responsibility  for  the  5,000,000  souls  for  which  the 
Presbyterian  Church  is  directly  responsible  in  Africa  to-day. 

Will  you  not  remember  Africa  in  prayer  daily,  and  ask  that  men 
and  women  may  be  found  who  will  obey  the  last  command  of  our 
Master,  when  He  said,  "Go  ye  (you)  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation?"  In  closing  let  me  give  you  the 
words  of  that  great  man  of  God  who  gave  his  life  in  and  for  Africa — 
David  Livingstone.  "May  heaven's  richest  blessing  come  down  upon 
everyone — American,  English,  Turk — who  will  help  to  heal  the  Open 
Sore  of  the  world."    That  richest  blessing  will  come  if  you  will  help. 


XVIII 
CONFERENCE  ON  CHINA 

BY  HUNTER  CORBETT,  D.  D. 

Wonderful  changes  have  taken  place  in  America  and  in  the  whole 
world  since  the  day  I  first  sailed  for  China,  July  3rd,  1863.  That 
was  the  day  of  the  terrible  battle  of  Gettysburg  when  our  brothers 
were  shedding  rivers  of  blood.  Why  leave  our  country  at  such  a 
time?  I  had  already  served  in  the  service  of  the  Christian  commis- 
sion. Two  of  my  brothers  were  in  the  army,  one  of  whom  soon  lost 
his  life  in  battle,  and  the  other's  life  was  shortened  by  the  exposure 
and  hardships  he  endured.  I  loved  my  country,  but  felt  that  God 
had  called  me  to  engage  in  a  different  warfare  where  the  need  was 
great  and  every  year's  delay  made  more  difficult  the  learning  of  the 
Chinese  language.  At  that  time  there  was  less  than  one-half  the 
population  America  has  to-day.  There  was  no  railway  across  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  no  steamers  crossing  the  Pacific  Ocean,  no  ocean 
cables,  no  Suez  Canal.  Our  sailing  ship,  St.  Paul,  sailed  around 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  including  seventeen  days  becalmed  on  the 
Equator,  was  six  months  making  the  journey  to  Shanghai, — a  city 
that  can  now  be  reached  in  less  than  one  month.  Owing  to  bad  food 
and  the  scarcity  of  water,  every  sailor  with  but  one  exception  suffered 
from  scurvy,  and  some  of  the  passengers  were  more  dead  than  alive 
with  disease. 

We  left  our  country  in  the  midst  of  a  terrible  conflict  to  find  China 
undergoing  a  similar  conflict.  In  1865  the  great  Tai  Ping  rebellion 
in  China  ended  after  a  struggle  of  fourteen  years  and  a  loss  estimated 
at  probably  twenty  millions  of  lives.  That  was  also  near  the  close  of 
the  war  between  Great  Britain,  France  and  China.  The  gates  of 
Peking  were  battered  down,  the  summer  palace  of  the  Emperor 
destroyed  and  China  compelled  not  only  to  open  her  ports  north  of 
Shanghai  but  also  to  pay  a  heavy  indemnity  and  put  the  custom  service 
under  foreign  control.  The  Chinese  hated  the  foreigners  with  a 
deadly  hatred.  They  had  heard  evil  and  only  evil  concerning  the 
"barbarians"  as  they  regarded  all  outside  of  China.  When  we 
learned  how  some  of  the  foreign  troops  treated  innocent  people, — 
many  to  save  their  honor  perished  by  jumping  into  wells, — it  is  per- 
haps not  surprising  that  they  had  no  love  for  foreigners. 

The  missionaries  had  not  only  to  learn  a  difficult  language,  study 
the  people,  translate  books,  establish  schools  to  educate  and  train 
teachers  and  preachers,  but  to  overcome  hatred,  prejudice  and  opposi- 
tion.   I  have  traveled  for  weeks  and  months  at  a  time  through  the 

108 


CONFERENCE  ON   CHINA  I09 

great  province  of  Shantung,  having  a  population  of  30,000,000, — the 
home  of  Confucius  and  Mencius,  witliout  meeting  anyone  who  had 
any  sympathy  with  me  or  the  message  I  had  to  dcHver, — reviled  from 
morning  till  night  and  often  stoned.     In  1877  a  terrible  famine  began 
in  Shantung  and  extended  north  and  northwest,  lasting  more  than 
two  years,  and  cost  the  loss  of  possibly  ten  millions  of  people.     Many 
entire  towns  and  villages  were  swept  away,  the  living  unable  to  bury 
the  dead.     Large  sums  of  money  were  contributed  by  merchants, 
both  Chinese  and  foreigners  living  in  different  parts  of  China.     Money 
was  also  sent  from  Europe  and  America.     This  money  was  largely 
entrusted  to  the  missionaries  for  distribution.     A  number  of  mission- 
aries at  the  risk  of  their  lives  went  into  the  destitute  districts.     Fol- 
lowing in  the  trail  of  famine  there  is  always  fever  and  disease  which 
proves  fatal  to  multitudes  who  have  no  strength  to  withstand  disease. 
Rev.  Mr.  Whiting  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  almost  immediately 
after  reaching  the  famine  district  was  taken  with  fever  and  soon  died. 
Dr.  I.  R.  Carmichael,  a  noble  Scotch  physician,  who  was  associated 
with  me  in  the  work,  doing  all  he  could  to  save  life  and  alleviate 
suffering,  was  taken  with  the  fever  and  died.     Not  a  few  of  the  Chinese 
preachers  and  helpers  also  died  in  this  work.     Systematic  methods 
were  adopted  giving  the  helpless  in  each  town  or  village  sufficient 
food  to  tide  over  five  days  or  a  week  at  a  time.     The  elders  of  the 
people  then  came  for  another  supply.     In  this  way  thousands  of  lives 
were  saved  and  untold  suffering  alleviated.     This  broke  down  pre- 
judice as  perhaps  nothing  else  could  have  done.     The  people  now  for 
the  first  time  came  to  look  upon  us  as  friends  and  not  enemies,  sent 
out  by  western  nations  as  spies  to  do  them  injury,  as  all  had  hitherto 
believed.     Many  now  hstened  to  our  gospel  message  as  never  before. 
They  read  the  Bible  and  Christian  books  from  a  new  view  point. 
Many  hearts  were  opened  to  receive  the  truth  and  to  openly  profess 
faith  in  Christ,  and  since  then  have  been  faithful  witnesses  for  Christ 
and  have  done  much  to  advance  Christ's  Kingdom  in  China.     In  the 
country  of  Chi  Me  the  first  convert  was  baptized  in  1870.    There  are 
now  within  a  radius  of  twenty  miles  from  that  center,  eight  organized 
Presbyterian  Churches  with  an  aggregate  adult  membership  of  more 
than  one  thousand.     Each  church  has  its  own  ruling  elders  and 
deacons;  its  own  house  of  worship  built  chiefly  by  the  people  them- 
selves; no  money  received  from  the  home  Board.    Two  of  these 
churches  have  their  own  well  educated  and  faithful  native  pastors 
whose  entire  support  is  paid  by  the  people  they  shepherd.     The 
other  churches  are  grouped  so  that  two  pastors  whom  God  has  greatly 
blessed,  shepherd  the  people.     Each  church  has  a  Christian  school 
for  boys  and  one  for  girls  where  many  have  been  educated  and  are 
now  doing  grand  Christian  work,  either  as  preachers,  teachers,  Bible 
women,  or  in  business.     At  a  conference  one  man  was  asked  if  he 
could  give  any  marked  evidence  that  his  life  was  now  different  from 
what  it  had  been  before  he  became  a  Christian.    He  replied,  '"Yes, 


I  lO  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

I  am  living  a  new  life.  I  now  assemble  with  my  ^vife  and  children 
a  litde  time  each  day  for  Bible  study  and  prayer.  I  now  do  no  work 
on  the  Sabbath.  I  take  my  family  to  church  every  Sabbath 
morning  and  spend  the  afternoon  with  them  in  memorizing  and 
repeating  Bible  stories,  talking  about  Jesus  and  the  example  He  left 
us,  and  then  calling  to  see  sick  neighbors  to  see  what  help  I  can  give 
them,  and  to  tell  them  of  Jesus."  Anything  more?  "Yes,  when  I 
gather  stones  off  my  fields,  I  do  not,  as  formerly,  when  no  one  is 
in  sight,  throw  them  on  my  neighbor's  fields,  but  carry  them  away 
where  they  will  not  injure  anyone." 

One  man  a  stone  mason,  had  a  large  family  to  support  by  his 
daily  work.  Every  Sabbath  he  brought  the  tenth  of  all  he  earned  as 
his  contribution.  The  deacon  exhorted  him  to  bring  less  and  spend 
more  in  supporting  his  family.  He  replied:  "Do  you  wish  to  deprive 
me  of  a  blessing?  Has  not  the  Lord  said,  'It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive?'  I  wish  that  blessing."  One  day  in  addition  to 
the  tithe  he  brought  one  hundred  and  fifty  cash  extra  and  said  he 
wished  to  present  it  as  a  thank  offering.  "What  does  that  mean?" 
"Last  week  during  the  rain  one  of  my  neighbor's  walls  fell  and  he 
called  me  to  rebuild  it.  I  put  my  whole  heart  into  my  work  as  I 
have  always  done  since  I  became  a  Christian,  and  did  my  very  best- 
When  the  owner  came  to  inspect  the  work  he  was  so  pleased  that  he 
paid  me  the  regular  wages  and  gave  me  1 50  cash  extra.  Have  I  not 
a  right  to  give  it  to  the  Lord?" 

A  Chinese  doctor  when  applying  for  baptism  was  asked  if  he  had 
carefully  considered  the  question  of  how  a  man  in  his  profession  could 
strictly  observe  the  Sabbath.  "Yes,"  he  replied.  "If  I  was  sent  for 
on  the  Sabbath,  if  the  case  is  serious  of  course  I  will  go  and  do  my 
best,  and  the  price  of  the  medicine  and  the  fee  I  receive  I  will  give  to 
the  Lord,  as  all  that  is  done  on  the  Sabbath  belongs  in  a  special 
manner  to  Him."  More  than  thirty  years  ago  it  was  my  privilege 
to  baptize  a  man  living  two  hundred  miles  in  the  interior.  He  was 
far  removed  from  church  or  Christian  people.  For  years  he  was 
hated  and  reviled  and  persecuted  not  only  by  the  people  of  his  village 
but  the  members  of  his  own  family  felt  they  had  been  wronged 
and  dishonored  by  the  father  embracing  a  foreign  and  hated  religion. 
The  father  daily  studied  his  Bible,  spent  much  time  in  prayer  and  did 
all  he  could  to  five  for  Christ.  He  always  waked  after  midnight  and 
it  became  his  custom  as  soon  as  he  awoke  to  go  out  and  kneel  in  the 
open  court  and  pray  aloud.  Neither  rain,  cold  nor  snow  prevented 
him.  He  would  not  only  pray  for  his  countr}'',  the  people  of  his  village, 
but  for  his  father  and  each  member  of  his  family  by  name.  His  two 
sons,  growing  lads,  would  awake  and  thought  their  father  had  been 
bewitched.  His  prayers  were  heard;  each  member  of  his  family 
became  Christians;  a  Christian  church  is  now  established  in  his 
village,  and  a  Christian  school  for  boys  and  one  for  girls.  His  two 
sons  \yere  educated  in  our  Christian  college.     One  of  them  who  has 


CONFERENCE   ON  CHINA  III 

lately  died  was  a  professor  in  the  university  at  Peking  under  the 
leadership  of  Dr.  Wm.  A.  P.  Martin  when  the  Boxer  uprising  took 
place  and  he  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  The  other  son  is  an 
ordained  minister,  an  eloquent  and  faithful  preacher,  and  my  assistant 
pastor  of  the  Chefoo  church.  The  father  now  nearing  the  sunset 
of  life,  lately  wrote  me  a  letter,  saying  he  felt  constrained  to  write 
once  more  and  tell  me  that  since  he  first  learned  to  know  Jesus  he 
had  every  day  remembered  me  by  name  at  the  mercy  seat  and  thanked 
Jesus  for  having  sent  me  with  the  gospel  which  he  valued  more  than 
life  and  all  besides.  He  added:  "As  evidence  that  I  speak  from  the 
heart  and  mean  more  than  words  can  express,  please  use  the  enclosed 
check  in  any  way  you  think  best."  The  check  was  for  seventeen 
thousand  large  cash, — miore  than  he  could  earn  on  his  farm  in  two 
years. 

Forty  years  ago  a  lad  of  nine  or  ten  years  was  taken  into  the 
mission  school  at  Chefoo.  He  soon  became  an  earnest  Christian. 
At  the  end  of  ten  years  he  graduated  from  our  college  at  Teng  Chow 
with  honors.  He  then  took  two  years  of  the  theological  course  but 
failing  health  required  him  to  go  into  business  so  that  he  could  spend 
much  time  in  the  open  air.  From  the  start,  "In  all  his  ways  he 
acknowledged  God"  and  God  directed  his  steps.  He  has  been 
successful  in  all  his  undertakings.  After  two  or  three  years  he  came 
to  me  early  one  morning,  his  face  beaming  with  joy.  I  greeted  him 
by  asking  if  he  had  received  some  special  blessing  he  looked  so  happy. 
He  replied,  "I  have  just  come  from  a  prayer  meeting."  "What,  a 
meeting  so  early  in  the  morning?  How  many  were  present?"  "Just 
three,  a  good  orthodox  number."  "And  who  were  they?"  "My 
mother,  my  wife  and  myself."  "And  what  were  you  praying  for 
especially?"  "It  was  a  meeting  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  having  heard  and  answered  many  years  of  prayer."  He  handed 
me  a  check  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  the  entire  sum,  prin- 
cipal and  interest,  which  had  been  spent  on  his  education.  He  has 
continued  to  prosper  and  supports  a  native  preacher  to  represent 
him.  He  is  assisting  nephews  and  kindred  in  their  education,  con- 
tributes to  help  the  poor  widows  and  orphans  of  his  clan,  pays  liber- 
ally to  the  support  of  the  native  pastor  and  for  every  form  of  church 
work;  conducts  college  prayer  meetings,  takes  the  service  on  the 
Sabbath  if  the  pastor  is  absent  or  sick.  Daily  assembles  his  wife 
and  children  for  Bible  study  and  prayer.  Has  the  joy  and  sun- 
shine of  heaven  welling  up  in  his  heart,  and  has  a  grand  reputation 
both  in  the  church  and  among  all  who  know  him.  This  is  a  specimen 
of  what  the  gospel  is  doing  in  China. 

The  Cliinese  are  the  most  conservative  people  and  the  slowest  to 
change,  but  when  you  know  their  language  and  understand  them, 
always  take  them  at  their  best.  Never  hold  up  to  ridicule  what  is 
to  them  sacred.  Observe  at  all  times  the  Golden  Rule.  Sympathize 
v/ith  them  in  time  of  sickness,  need  and  death,  and  thus  win  t,heir 


112  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

love  and  friendship,  and  none  can  excell  them  in  true  and  steadfast 
friendship.  In  times  of  persecution  and  danger  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians have  risked  their  lives  for  their  missionary  friends.  The  whole 
country  is  now  open  to  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  We  can  nov,^  preach 
publicly  in  every  city,  town  and  village,  and  every  place  find  many 
willing  listeners.  The  doors  are  now  wide  open.  The  church  has  an 
opportunity  which  never  existed  in  the  past  of  sending  educated  and 
consecrated  men  and  women  who  will  learn  the  language,  love  the 
people,  and  assist  in  teaching  not  only  in  existing  Christian  schools 
and  colleges,  but  in  government  schools  now  desperately  in  need  of 
help.  Also  in  medical  work  and  in  training  physicians,  nurses  and 
Christian  leaders  for  every  walk  in  life,  keeping  daily  before  the  rising 
generation  high  Christian  ideals,  and  Christian  li\dng  will  by  this 
blessing  tell  powerfully  in  making  China  a  Christian  nation  and  a 
mighty  power  in  the  earth  for  good.  One  million  of  dollars  now  spent 
in  the  one  province  of  Shantung  in  Christian  education  and  evange- 
listic work  would  by  the  blessing  of  God  accomplish  wonders  and 
hasten  the  coming  of  our  Redeemer's  Kingdom  in  the  east.  Other 
parts  of  China  are  equally  promising.  Delay  may  prove  fatal.  Let 
all  literally  obey  Christ  when  He  says,  "Behold  I  say  unto  you,  lift 
up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  are  white  already  to 
harvest."  In  harvest  time  everything  else  must  be  set  aside.  What 
answer  is  each  one  of  us  going  to  give  to  God's  question?  "How 
shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how 
shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  And  how  shall  they  preach 
except  they  be  sent?" 


XIX 

THE  OPEN  DOOR  IN  CHINA,  AND  MISSIONARY 
ACHIEVEMENT 

BY  REV.  J.  ASHLEY  FITCH 

God  is  doing  great  things  in  the  Orient  in  these  days.  The 
slumbering  Chinese  giant  is  awakening.  The  impossible  is  accom- 
plished. The  heaven  high  walls  of  Chinese  convervatism  and  seclu- 
siveness  are  fallen  down.  Change  is  in  the  air.  Time  suffices  only 
to  hint  at  a  few  of  the  remarkable  happenings.  Perhaps  the  most 
important  of  all  has  been  the  about-face  in  educational  matters. 
Schools  on  western  lines  and  teaching  western  sciences  are  being 
opened  throughout  the  Empire.  They  range  from  kindergarten  to 
universities,  and  include  even  some  schools  for  girls  among  them. 
Last  year  the  ancient  examinations  in  the  classics  for  literary  degrees 
in  vogue  since  near  the  time  of  Christ,  were  abolished.  The  reason 
given  was  that  they  were  a  clog  upon  progress,  because  they  bolstered 
up  conservative  ideas.  To  open  schools  you  must  have  teachers. 
Such  as  were  available  from  Christian  schools  were  eagerly  sought. 
They  are  but  as  a  drop  in  the  bucket.  Thousands  of  young  men  have 
been  sent  to  Japan  to  become  the  future  teachers  of  China.  Others 
to  England,  to  Germany,  and  to  France.  In  Tokyo  the  Y.M.C.A. 
has  a  very  important  work  among  these  students.  Since  my  previous 
furlough,  ten  years  ago,  a  postal  system  has  been  inaugurated  and  is 
being  rapidly  extended  over  the  Empire.  This  makes  newspapers 
possible,  and  they  are  rapidly  increasing  in  numbers  and  influence. 
China  is  at  last  endeavoring  to  grapple  with  the  terrible  opium  curse, 
and  we  shall  eagerly  await  the  result  of  her  battle  with  this  giant  evil. 
Foot-binding  has  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  that  cruel  custom  of 
Chinese  women  bids  fair  at  no  distant  day  to  become  a  thing  of  the 
past.  We  were  astonished  a  few  months  ago  to  hear  that  our  Chris- 
tian Sabbath  had  been  recognized  by  the  Chinese  government.  All 
government  schools  are  closed  on  that  day.  More  recently  the  great 
Viceroy  of  the  two  Hu  Provinces,  Chang  Chi  Tung,  issued  a  proclama- 
tion in  which  he  said  in  substance:  "China  does  not  only  need  the 
sciences  of  the  west.  There  must  be  also  something  superior  in  the 
classics  of  the  west."  He  ordered  the  New  Testament  as  the  princi- 
pal classic  of  the  west  to  be  taught  in  all  of  the  schools  of  his  Vice- 
royalty.     Think  of  such  a  proclamation  from  a  heathen  Viceroy! 

The  superintendent  of  education  for  Shantung,  himself  a  member 
of  the  Confucian  clan,  told  Mr.  Hamilton  of  our  Mission  a  few  years 
ago,  that  the  Governor  once  requested  him  to  write  a  critique  of  the 

113 


114  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

New  Testament,  comparing  it  with  the  Confucian  classics.  That 
same  Governor  asked  another  missionary  for  enough  New  Testa- 
ments to  distribute  one  to  each  of  the  district  magistrates  in  his 
province.  In  the  presence  of  such  facts,  what  is  to  be  thought  of  the 
criticisms  that  are  ever  finding  their  way  into  the  papers  to  the  effect 
that  missionary  effort  has  made  httle  impression  upon  the  Chinese? 
In  contrast  with  such  ideas,  Hsten  to  the  words  of  an  editor  on  the 
ground.  The  editor  of  the  North  China  Daily  News  published  in 
Shanghai,  in  one  of  his  editorials  says  of  missionaries:  "They  have 
preached  and  taught  and  scattered  literature  with  an  amazing  prodi- 
gality; and  it  should  not  be  wondered  at  any  more  than  it  can  be 
denied,  that  Foreign  Missions  have  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
thought  and  life  of  the  Chinese.  The  Chinese  Christian  church  is  a 
fact  and  it  is  bound  to  be  a  factor  of  the  first  importance  in  the  reshap- 
ing of  China  which  is  now  taking  place."  What  is  the  effect  of  these 
new  conditions  on  the  missionary  enterprise?  Walls  of  supercilious 
pride  that  once  shut  us  out,  are  falling  down.  Eyes  blinded  by 
prejudice  are  being  opened.  Ears  once  deaf  to  our  message  are  now 
giving  it  a  respectful  hearing.  And  with  hearing  comes  believing 
on  the  part  of  great  numbers,  as  witness  the  fact  that  50,000  are 
reported  to  have  been  received  into  the  church  since  the  Boxer  perse- 
cution, in  1900.  Among  all  classes  throughout  all  China  is  such  an 
open  door  as  has  never  been  seen  before. 

Perhaps  the  most  vivid  view  of  missionary  achievements  can  be 
given  by  a  somewhat  minute  description  of  what  is  being  done  in  a 
single  station.  The  work  with  which  I  am  personally  connected  is 
at  Wei  Hsien,  one  of  eight  mission  stations  occupied  by  our  Presby- 
terian Board  in  Shantung  Province.  This  is  a  northern  province,  its 
latitude  being  about  that  of  southern  Missouri.  It  lies  due  west  of  the 
southern  half  of  Korea,  across  an  arm  of  the  Yellow  Sea.  Educational 
work,  every  one  of  the  important  branches  of  our  station  work,  has 
felt  the  effect  of  the  new  conditions  in  a  very  marked  degree.  Schools 
are  increasing  in  size  and  number  to  the  limit  of  our  ability  to  meet 
the  situation,  and  self  support  in  these  schools  is  making  steady 
advance.  Our  boys  and  our  girls  High  Schools  have  increased  in 
size  one-third  and  one-half  respectively  within  two  years,  requiring  the 
building  of  new  dormitories,  and  the  limit  of  the  building's  capacity 
is  reached,  but  not  the  limit  of  the  would-be  students.  When  girls' 
schools  were  new  in  Shanghai  years  ago,  parents  were  loth  to  send 
their  girls  to  school,  and  as  for  bearing  any  of  the  expense,  it  was  not 
to  be  thought  of.  Now  parents  vie  with  each  other  in  their  eagerness 
to  get  their  girls  into  school,  and  they  are  paying  liberally  toward  their 
support.  Many  of  the  better  to  do  are  paying  nearly  all  or  all  their 
board.  The  best  of  last  class  entering  averaged  two-thirds  of  their 
board.  The  primary  schools  pay  one-half  the  salary  of  their  teacher 
and  generally  something  on  board  besides.  Nothing  could  show 
better  the  appreciation  of  female  education.     Needless  to  say  they 


THE  OPEN  DOOR  IN  CHINA,   AND  MISSIONARY  ACHIEVEMENT    II 5 

are  even  more  willing  to  pay  for  the  education  of  their  boys  to  the 
limit  of  their  ability.  We  have  upwards  of  five  hundred  primer 
pupils  in  the  boys'  country  schools,  and  here  they  are  paying  one-half 
the  salar)'  of  their  teachers. 

A  union  college  has  been  established  at  Wei  Hsien  carried  on  by 
the  American  Presbyterian  and  the  English  Baptist  Missions.  By 
building  new  dormitories  it  was  possible  to  take  in  seventy  or  eighty 
new  students  at  the  opening  of  the  school  year.  After  receiving  that 
number  of  applicants,  one  hundred  students  were  turned  away  whom 
we  could  not  take  in  for  want  of  room.  The  graduates  of  this  institu- 
tion become  pastors,  teachers  of  high  schools,  and  members  of  the 
college  faculty  and  evangelistic  preachers.  They  go  to  other  stations 
and  other  missions.  The  government  is  glad  to  get  these  young  men 
as  teachers.  They  are  found  in  the  teaching  staff  of  prefectual  schools 
and  universities.  In  at  least  seven  different  provinces  they  have  been 
called  to  either  mission  or  government  service,  bearing  out  fully  that 
editor's  prophesy  that  the  "Chinese  church  is  found  to  be  a  factor  of 
the  first  importance  in  the  reshaping  of  China  that  is  now  taking 
place." 

There  was  a  very  precious  revival  in  the  college  the  past  spring, 
when  Dr.  Howard  Agnew  Johnston  was  there.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  prayer,  and  confession  of  sins,  and  of  making  up  of  quarrels, 
and  of  personal  work  of  students  for  students.  But  best  of  all,  almost 
every  student  in  college  who  was  not  yet  a  Christian,  applied  for 
admission  to  the  church.  There  were  some  sixty-nine  students  from 
the  college  alone  to  confess  their  faith,  besides  others  from  the  two 
high  schools.  More  than  this,  two  hundred  students  from  college, 
high  school,  and  the  training  school  at  Ching  Chow  Fu,  volunteered 
to  give  some  time  in  their  vacations  to  preaching  Christ  in  the  vicinity 
of  their  homes. 

The  unique  event  of  the  year  was  ten  days  women's  conference 
held  in  Wei  Hsien  in  April  of  last  year.  Over  three  hundred  women 
from  over  two  hundred  villages  came  together,  the  choice  women  of 
our  Christian  out-stations.  There  were  women  there  fifty  and  sixty 
years  old  who  had  walked  forty  or  fifty  miles  to  be  present  at  that 
conference.  All  the  relations  of  woman  from  birth  to  old  age,  as 
illumined  by  the  teachings  of  Christ,  were  presented  from  the  plat- 
form and  freely  discussed  from  the  floor.  Their  prayers  showed 
that  the  Spirit  was  present  indeed.  Often  several  would  be  on  the 
floor  praying  at  the  same  time  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  and  yet 
there  seemed  to  be  perfect  decorum,  no  confusion.  One  practical 
result  was  that  205  women  pledged  to  unbind  their  feet,  and  those 
have  gone  home  and  persuaded  many  others  to  follow  their  example. 
Many  stories  have  come  to  us  of  the  profound  after  results  that  have 
followed  this  conference. 

Many  serial  meetings  have  been  held  in  different  centers  of  the 
field  in  the  interest  of  the  Christians,  and  they  have  resulted  in  a 


Il6  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

deepening  of  spirituality,  greater  zeal  in  voluntary  preaching  to  the 
heathen,  and  rapidly  increasing  gifts  to  the  support  and  spread  of  the 
gospel.  A  new  feature  of  the  situation  is  that  often,  especially  at 
evening  meetings,  the  chapel  or  tent  used  would  be  crowded  with 
non-Christians.  At  one  meeting  where  there  had  been  marked  in- 
difference for  years,  special  invitations  were  given,  and  it  was  said 
that  there  was  not  a  house  in  the  village  but  had  someone  attending 
the  meeting.  Our  sister  station  to  the  east  of  us  held  many  similar 
meetings,  and  there  were  many  wonderful  answers  to  prayer  for 
Christians  who  had  fallen  away.  A  non- Christian  came  to  one  of 
these  meetings  held  in  a  tent  and  found  it  crowded  full.  He  went 
round  to  the  north  side  of  the  tent  and  stood  in  a  cold  wind,  listening 
through  the  wall  of  the  tent  for  two  hours.  When  the  service  was 
over  he  crowded  in,  and  up  to  the  speakers  and  said,  "This  is  the 
religion  I  want;  put  me  down  as  a  Christian." 

Our  Chinese  pastors  are  doing  splendid  work,  alike  in  charge  oi 
their  churches,  in  these  revival  meetings,  and  in  aggressive  work 
among  the  heathen.  I  was  passing  through  a  village  where  one  of 
our  pastors  is  located,  last  April,  and  I  asked  for  the  pastor.  They 
told  me  he  was  not  at  home.  I  asked  "Where  is  he?"  They  said, 
"Why,  don't  you  know,  to-day  is  one  of  the  great  Chinese  feast  days, 
so  everybody  is  at  leisure,  and  the  Christians  gathered  up  at  the  church 
this  morning  and  divided  up  into  parties  with  the  pastor  and  elders 
and  they  have  gone  out  preaching  in  the  villages."  "I  am  glad  you 
are  doing  that  kind  of  work,"  I  said.  "How  is  it,  are  there  any 
inquirers?"  "Yes,  indeed!"  said  they.  "Of  Sundays  the  church  is 
more  than  full,  and  people  are  standing  round  the  doors  and  windows 
in  the  court  yard  listening."  (It  is  our  largest  chapel  in  a  country 
village.)  "Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  that?"  I  asked.  "Oh  ! 
we  have  raised  money  to  buy  a  bigger  plot  of  ground  and  will  build  a 
church  that  will  hold  all." 

Four  years  ago  our  church  at  Peang  Wang  was  in  such  bad  shape 
we  thought  it  would  have  to  be  disbanded.  It  was  rent  with  quarrels. 
There  were  cases  of  conduct  demanding  discipline.  The  session 
itself  was  involved  in  the  discord  and  could  do  nothing.  A  com- 
mission was  sent  down  from  Presbytery  with  full  power  to  disband  the 
church  if  there  was  no  other  alternative.  Their  first  move  was  to 
hold  a  six  days  service  with  the  Christians,  and  God's  Sipirt  did  a 
mighty  work.  There  were  many  confessions  of  sin.  The  people  pled 
for  a  further  trial.  The  old  session  resigned.  A  new  one  was  elected, 
needed  discipline  was  administered  and  submitted  to.  And  on  top 
of  all  the  trouble  they  raised  three-fourths  of  the  salary  of  a  pastor. 
The  second  year  they  became  self-supporting.  They  called  a  young 
man  just  out  of  the  theological  class  to  be  their  pastor.  His  friends 
said:  "Don't  think  of  going  there.  An  old  man  cannot  manage  that 
situal:ion,  much  less  a  young  one.  You  can  only  injure  your  reputa- 
tion."    But  trusting  in  God  the  young  man  went.     The  second  year 


THE  OPEN  DOOR  IN  CHINA,  AND  MISSIONARY   ACHIEVEMENT     II7 

in  that  church  he  came  up  to  Presbytery  with  the  largest  record  of  ac- 
cessions of  any  church  in  Presbytery.  He  had  received  sixty-five  on 
confession  of  faith.  His  elder  told  us  that  on  Sabbath  he  got  up  and 
walked  three  miles  and  held  a  service  at  eight  o'clock,  then  another 
mile  and  a  half  and  led  a  second  service  at  eleven  a.m.  Then  home 
one  and  one-half  miles  and  conducted  his  third  service  at  home  in  the 
afternoon.  He  called  for  volunteers  and  would  often  go  out  with  them 
and  do  village  preaching  four  days  in  the  week  leaving  himself  Friday 
and  Saturday  for  preparation.  When  I  was  leaving,  two  of  his 
chapels  were  reported  on  the  eve  of  rebuilding. 

Here  is  the  record  of  our  seven  Chinese  pastors  a  year  ago :  One 
received  sixty-five;  three  received  between  thirty  and  forty;  two  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty;  and  one  received  sixteen.  The  five  native 
pastors  who  were  with  us  in  the  present  year  averaged  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  thirty  each.  So  pleased  are  the  Christians  becoming  with  the 
work  of  their  native  pastors,  that  eight  churches  came  up  to  Presby- 
tery, each  with  salary  raised  to  call  a  native  pastor.  There  were  only 
two  ready  for  call.  But  we  hope  that  in  the  near  future  we  may  have 
more  efficient  men  from  our  theological  school  to  meet  this  need. 
Those  who  have  never  gone  through  the  long  hard  struggle  of  bringing 
a  church  up  to  even  measurable  self-support  in  a  heathen  land,  can- 
not realize  the  exultation  of  the  missionary  worker  when  this  is 
achieved.  But  when  it  is  known  that  this  is  accomplished  by  farmers 
living  on  three  and  five  and  ten  acre  farms  none  can  but  feel  that  here 
is  proof  of  genuine  love  of  Christ.  You  are  not  only  anxious  for  num- 
bers, but  for  quality.  And  these  things  speak  plainly  of  the  quality 
of  Christians  that  God  is  raising  up  in  China. 

One  word  further  as  to  the  expansion  of  the  work.  A  year  ago 
569  were  added  to  our  Presbytery  on  confession  of  faith,  and  there 
were  760  inquirers  reported.  The  past  year  the  number  added  was 
503.  There  have  been  almost  2,000  added  on  confession  of  faith  in 
the  last  four  years  in  our  Presbytery  alone.  When  I  went  to  China, 
seventeen  years  ago,  Shantung  Province  was  one  big  Presbytery. 
Now  it  is  divided  into  three  Presbyteries,  and  for  two  years  past  the 
numbers  added  to  our  church  in  the  Province  have  been  more  than 
1,100  per  year.  I  cannot  speak  of  all  China,  but  it  is  said  that  there 
have  been  50,000  added  to  Christ  in  China  since  the  persecution  days 
of  1900,  when  there  were  so  many  saying  that  missionaries  ought  all 
to  go  home. 

A  factor  of  vast  importance  in  the  evangelization  of  China  is  the 
native  helper,  unordained  men,  trained  carefully  in  the  Bible,  and 
sent  out  to  preach.  I  once  heard  an  old  elder,  a  Christian  of  some 
thirty  years  standing,  tell  how  he  made  his  decision  for  Christ.  Dr. 
Nevius  had  almost  persuaded  him  to  be  a  Christian.  As  he  was 
revolving  these  thoughts  in  his  mind,  a  shade  of  suspicion  came  into 
his  mind.  "After  all,"  he  thought,  "  it  was  a  foreigner  said  these 
things."    Then  he  thought  of  a  Christian  who  lived  a  few  miles 


Il8  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

away,  and  he  went  off  and  hunted  him  up,  and  with  a  fellow  country- 
man talked  over  his  doubts  and  difficulties  and  then  he  decided  to 
become  a  Christian.  The  incident  came  home  to  me  with  a  new 
force,  the  lesson  that  the  humblest  Chinaman  can  do  something  that 
I  cannot.  He  can  get  just  a  little  nearer  to  one  of  his  own  people 
than  I  ever  can.  It  is  the  native  helper  who  is  doing  pioneer  work, 
and  who  cares  for  and  nurtures  the  new  work  until  it  is  ripe  to  call 
pastors. 

A  close  analysis  of  our  work  shows  that  other  things  being  equal 
there  is  a  very  close  relation  between  the  number  of  helpers  at  work 
and  the  harvest  of  converts  gathered.  Five  years  ago  a  colleague 
gathered  up  a  dozen  or  more  helpers  and  went  to  the  city  of  Ngan 
K'in  where  previously  there  had  been  no  Christian  work.  He  hired 
an  inn.  Sent  his  workers  out  two  and  two,  preaching,  to-day  going 
with  one  pair,  to-morrow  with  another.  He  invited  the  townspeople 
in  for  evening  preaching,  and  carried  on  this  campaign  for  a  month  or 
six  weeks,  and  then  left  a  helper  in  charge.  A  work  was  started  that 
has  now  grown  to  a  congregation  of  near  a  hundred.  What  do  you 
suppose  these  helpers  cost  the  church?  That  will  vary  with  cost  of 
living  in  different  places.  But  in  our  station  they  labor  for  $45  to 
$50  gold,  per  year,  and  where  we  use  temporary  helpers  for  a  winter 
or  a  summer,  the  cost  is  much  less,  and  some  of  these  are  partly, 
others  wholly  supported  by  the  native  church.  The  point  I  would 
enforce  is,  there  is  not  a  cheaper,  a  more  effective  kind  of  missionary 
work  that  we  can  do.  You  put  many  of  them  in  the  field  for  the 
same  cost  as  one  foreign  worker. 

Brethren,  we  are  face  to  face  with  a  situation  whose  like  the  church 
has  never  seen  in  her  history.  A  nation  of  four  hundred  millions,  and 
every  part  of  it  wide  open  to  the  Gospel !  What  is  demanded  to  meet 
this  situation?  Above  all,  the  united  prayer  of  all  God's  people  for 
a  world  wide  revival.  Then  we  must  lay  hold  of  every  available 
laborer  and  thrust  him  forth  into  the  harvest  field.  There  must  be  a 
great  multiplying  of  Foreign  Missionaries  if  we  are  to  do  our  duty  by 
this  generation.  But  this  is  not  enough.  They  are  too  few  and  they 
are  too  costly  to  meet  the  demand  for  laborers.  Perhaps  the  greatest 
need  is  a  large  army  of  trained  native  evangelists  working  with  and 
under  the  missionary  and  the  native  pastor.  It  behooves  us  at  this 
hour  to  plan  largely,  with  great  faith,  for  far  larger  ingatherings  than 
we  have  ever  seen  before.  And  we  lay  the  situation  before  you,  and 
upon  you,  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  take  hold  of  the 
financial  problem  at  this  end  of  the  line,  and  so  cooperate  with  us  as 
to  make  these  larger  plans  possible.  "Say  not  there  are  four  months 
and  then  cometh  harvest.  Lift  up,  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  field 
that  they  are  white  already  to  the  harvest." 


XX 

CHINESE  AND   JAPANESE  IN  THE  UNITED   STATES 

BY  REV.  J.  H.  LAUGHLIN,  D.D. 

The  Chinese  began  to  come  in  1848 — two  men  and  one  woman 
in  the  ship  Eagle.  The  discovery  of  gold  and  the  demand  for  labor 
soon  brought  them  in  ever  increasing  numbers  until,  about  1870,  they 
are  said  to  have  reached  the  high-water  mark  of  150,000.  Labor 
opposition  to  them  arose,  waxing  more  violent  from  year  to  year, 
until,  in  1884  the  Exclusion  Law  was  passed  and  put  into  execution. 
By  that  law  no  new  Chinese  laborers  can  enter  this  country ;  those  now 
here  cannot  reenter  if  they  leave  the  country  for  more  than  a  year; 
they  cannot  bring  in  wives  or  children. 

The  following  classes  are  exempt  from  the  operation  of  the  law: 
merchants,  officials,  students,  teachers,  and  tourists.  But  the  mem- 
bers of  these  classes  who  visit  our  shores  are  suspected  of  being  coolies, 
and  obliged  to  prove  that  they  are  not — assumed  to  be  guilty  until 
they  prove  their  innocence.  And,  in  furnishing  the  evidence  they  are 
often  exposed  to  bitter  humiliation,  such  as  baring  the  back  to  show 
that  they  have  not  been  tanned  by  the  sun,  as  laborers  are. 

Three  results  have  followed  in  the  train  of  the  exclusion  law : — 

1 .  Decrease  of  the  Chinese  population.  As  the  laborers  grow  old 
they  return  to  the  fatherland,  and  as  none  can  take  their  places,  the 
effect  is  patent.  Nor  are  many  of  the  exempt  classes  attracted  hither 
by  the  difficulties  of  entering  our  Golden  Gate.  Consequently,  in- 
stead of  a  population  of  150,000,  as  we  had  in  1885,  the  Chinese  now 
in  the  U.  S.  number  not  more  than  sixty  thousand. 

2.  Deterioration  of  character.  The  thinning  out  of  the  Chinese 
population  has  compelled  the  closing  of  many  Chinese  stores,  and  the 
return  of  many  respectable  merchants  to  their  own  country.  The 
smuggling  method  of  entering  the  country,  the  only  way  open  to  the 
peasant  classes,  appeals  most  strongly  to  the  disreputable  ranks, 
and  these — mostly  gamblers — now  occupy  the  rooms  where  the 
respectable  merchants  once  had  their  stores. 

3.  The  turning  of  Chinese  students  to  other  countries  instead  of 
this.  Sixteen  thousand  of  them  are  now  in  Japan,  many  of  whom 
would  gladly  come  hither,  if  they  could  do  it  without  "losing  face," 
and  suffering  indignity. 

The  Japanese  invasion  commenced  by  no  means  so  early.  For 
not  more  than  twenty-five  years  have  they  been  seen  on  our  shores. 
Not  yet,  indeed,  is  it  an  invasion.  11,021  came  into  the  country  in 
1905.    Many  were  recalled  to  their  own  land  by  the  war  with  Russia. 

119 


120  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Now  they  are  reported  to  be  entering  the  San  Francisco  port  at  the 
rate  of  a  thousand  a  month.  Is  that  an  invasion,  when  ten  thousand 
Russian  Jews,  and  fifteen  thousand  Southern  Italians  are  pouring  into 
the  port  of  New  York  every  month? 

Yet  the  labor  unions  are  rising  up  against  them  as  they  once  rose 
against  the  Chinese,  and  there  is  much  agitaton  for  the  application  of 
the  Chinese  exclusion  law  to  both  the  Japanese  and  Koreans  as  well. 

As  is  well  known,  too,  San  Francisco  is  witnessing  a  determined 
effort  to  segregate  the  orientals — the  three  races  mentioned — in  the 
matter  of  schools.  A  building  has  been  provided,  and  teachers,  for 
their  children  alone,  and  an  act  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city 
prohibits  attendance  of  those  children  in  the  white  schools.  That 
ordinance  is  distasteful  to  them  all,  for  the  following  reasons: — 

1.  The  teachers  not  understanding  the  oriental  languages,  are 
ignorant  of  what  the  children  are  saying  to  one  another  at  recess, 
and  even  in  school  hours.  The  Christian  parents,  especially,  are 
solicitous  for  their  children's  welfare. 

2.  The  children  do  not  make  the  same  progress  in  English  as  in 
the  white  schools,  where  at  recess,  as  well  as  in  school,  they  are  using 
it  all  the  time. 

3.  The  difficulty  of  access  to  the  Oriental  school,  which  is  right  in 
the  heart  of  the  burned  district,  while  most  of  these  children  live  miles 
away. 

4.  The  offence  to  their  national  pride  in  thus  singling  them  out, 
and  discriminating  against  them  in  comparison  with  European  nations, 
and  some  Asiatic  ones.  In  addition  to  these  political  measures, 
certain  classes  go  along  ways  in  making  miserable  the  daily  life  of 
these  guests  from  the  Orient. 

My  assistant  Chinese  pastor  told  me  that  so  long  as  he  continued 
to  wear  his  native  clothes  he  never  crossed  the  bay,  to  his  preaching 
appointments  in  Oakland,  and  elsewhere,  without  being  insulted. 

Rev.  Ng  Poon  Chew  says,  "They  charge  us  with  not  assimilating 
with  the  American  people,  while,  at  the  same  time,  they  will  not  give 
us  the  chance  to  assimilate.  When  I  changed  from  Chinese  clothes 
to  American,  and  after  cutting  off  my  queue  with  my  own  hand, 
wished  to  have  my  hair  cut  in  the  latest  American  style,  no  barber 
would  render  the  service  to  a  Chinaman. 

"  Later,  when  I  wished  to  give  my  growing  family  the  advantages 
of  American  civilization  by  getting  a  home  outside  the  borders  of 
Chinatown,  no  house  could  be  rented  by  a  Chinaman.  Sometimes 
the  landlord  would  be  willing,  but  the  neighbors  would  object.  Once 
it  was  colored  neighbors  who  offered  the  protest." 

So  it  is  with  the  Japanese.  One — an  ordained  minister,  visiting 
in  the  home  of  a  white  minister,  and  invited  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on 
the  coming  Sabbath — went  to  a  barber  shop  for  a  hair-cut,  and  was 
refused  the  service.  Another — Dr.  Omori,  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
seismologists  in  the  world,  came  to  San  Francisco  last  summer  to 


CHINESE   AND   JAPANESE   IN  THE   UNITED  STATES  121 

study  the  effects  of  the  earthquake,  and,  incidentally,  imparted  the 
first  real  comfort  to  the  inhabitants  when  he  told  them  that  the  daily 
shocks  they  were  experiencing  meant  nothing  but  the  settling  of  the 
earth  into  its  new  position,  and  that  no  further  danger  was  to  be 
apprehended — this  man,  gentleman  and  scholar  as  he  is,  while  pur- 
suing his  beneficent  labors  had  his  hat  smashed  in  by  a  tin  can  thrown 
by  the  hand  of  a  San  Francisco  hoodlum. 

My  judgment  is  that  America  should  put  these  immigrants  on 
exactly  the  same  footing  as  she  puts  other  nations,  for  the  following 
reasons : — 

1.  They  are  no  worse  citizens  than  others.  Vices  they  have, 
but  so  have  others.  They  gamble,  and  smoke  opium — some  of  them 
— but  never  is  a  Chinaman  seen  reeling  along  the  street  drunk,  curs- 
ing and  menacing  the  safety  of  his  fellow-citizens.  It  is  not  the 
orientals  that  are  banded  together  for  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath, 
the  keeping  open  of  saloons  every  day  and  every  night  (and  all  night) 
of  the  week,  and  the  general  corruption  of  politics. 

2.  We  need  their  labor.  San  Francisco  needs  it.  San  Francisco 
is  a  city  of  flats — why?  Because  house  labor  is  so  high  that  few 
people  can  afford  to  employ  it,  hence  housekeeping  is  reduced,  per- 
force, to  the  simplest  scale.  Surely  oriental  labor  cannot  be  charged 
with  interfering  with  that  of  the  whites  when  it  commands  a  wage 
of  twenty-five  cents  an  hour  (fifty  since  the  earthquake),  and  from 
forty  to  a  hundred  dollars  a  month  for  house  servants. 

California  needs  their  labor.  Ranch  owners,  and  fruitgrowers  all 
say  so.  One  of  the  latter  told  me  that  there  was  a  great  deal  more 
profit  to  be  had  from  berries  than  from  the  large  fruits,  but  he  did  not 
dare  to  go  into  that  business  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  labor. 

The  Middle  West  needs  their  labor.  There  people  are  quitting 
the  farming  business  because  they  have  to  work  too  hard.  They 
have  the  money  to  employ  laborers,  but  the  laborers  cannot  be  found. 
An  annual  item  of  news  is  that  Kansas,  or  Nebraska,  or  some  other 
state  has  resorted  to  force  in  compelling  laborers  to  help  with  the 
gathering  of  the  harvest,  yet  we  are  deliberately  shutting  out  laborers 
capable  and  willing. 

3.  We  need  their  trade.  These  immigrants  have  been  most 
potential  in  building  up  America's  trade  with  the  Orient.  They  are 
blamed  for  carrying  money  out  of  the  country.  They  do  not.  Our 
money  is  of  no  use  in  Japan  or  China.  What  they  do  carry  is,  our 
watches  and  clocks,  our  umbrellas,  our  threads  and  muslins,  our 
kerosene — just  what  our  merchants  want  them  to  carry.  And  those 
commodities  are  seen  by  their  fellow-countrymen,  and  other  orders 
come,  increasing  year  by  year  until  America  sells  to  China  alone 
twenty-five  millions  or  thirty  millions  worth  of  goods  annually.  And 
this  volume  of  trade  could  be  multiplied  indefinitely  if  we  were  sensible 
enough  to  cultivate  friendship,  instead  of  inspire  hatred. 

4.  They  afford  us  the  grandest  opportunity  possible  for  giving 


122  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

the  gospel  to  those  eastern  nations.  They  come  to  us  in  a  teachable 
frame  of  mind,  ready  to  be  exceedingly  grateful  for  everything  done 
in  their  behalf.  They  become  consistent  earnest  Christians,  which, 
coupled  with  an  absorbed  admixture  of  American  enterprise,  makes 
them  very  influential  among  their  own  people  at  home.  Some  have 
■gone  back  as  ordained  ministers,  others  as  church  officers,  others  as 
plain  Christians,  and  have  been  blessed  of  God  to  the  salvation  of 
multitudes  of  their  people.  And,  if  we  took  pains  to  win  their  friend- 
ship, their  influence  upon  their  home  people  would  incline  them  to 
the  missionary  and  his  book,  making  results  many  fold  larger  than 
at  present,  when,  in  too  many  cases  our  American  treatment  pro- 
duces the  opposite  sentiment  towards  the  Christian  religion. 

5.  Such  treatment  would  be  Scriptural.  These  people  are  our 
neighbors;  let  us  be  to  them  Good  Samaritans,  not  indifferent  priests 
and  Levites. 

They  are  our  brethren.  God  hath  made  them  of  one  blood 
with  us.  Their  skins  may  be  yellow,  but  their  blood  is  as  red  as 
ours;  let  us  act  accordingly. 


XXI 

INDIA'S  IMMEDIATE  NEEDS 

BY  E.  M.  WHERRY,  D.D. 

The  field  occupied  by  our  Mission  in  India  lies  within  three  of 
the  great  Provinces  of  that  Empire: — The  Punjab,  United  Provinces 
of  Agra  and  Oudh,  and  Bombay.  The  population  for  whose  evange- 
lization we  are  especially  responsible  would  number  about  twenty- 
five  million,  or  about  one-twelfth  of  the  population  of  the  Empire. 
They  represent  every  form  of  racial  and  tribal  character,  every 
religious  faith  found  in  the  country.  The  missionary  has  to  meet 
every  form  of  philosophic  belief  or  misbelief.  He  occupies  the  battle 
ground  of  ages,  strewn  with  relics  of  every  conquest  or  invasion  of 
the  Conqueror  from  the  days  of  Alexander  the  Great  to  the  present 
time.  To  rightly  understand  the  need  of  this  mission  field  at  the 
present  time,  let  us  take  a  brief  survey  of  the  various  lines  of  work 
undertaken  and  the  many  institutions  established  and  now  being 
carried  on  in  India.     And  first  we  will  mention 

THE  SCHOOLS  AND  COLLEGES 

The  first  work  undertaken  by  the  pioneer  missionaries  of  our 
church  in  India  was  that  of  education,  and  the  first  school  established 
by  them  was  the  mission  school  for  boys  at  Lodhiana.  Beginning 
as  a  primary  school  in  order  to  teach  the  English  language  to  Hindu 
and  Mohammedan  boys,  this  school  rapidly  grew  to  be  a  High 
School  with  several  branch  schools  in  the  city.  It  now  sends  up  to  the 
University,  thirty  or  forty  boys  annually.  This  school  has  always 
included  in  its  course  of  study,  a  graded  course  of  Bible  instruction. 

The  beginning  made  in  educational  work  at  Lodhiana  was 
followed  by  the  establishment  of  similar  schools  in  almost  every  sta- 
tion occupied  by  our  missions  in  India.  High  schools  are  at  present 
maintained  in  the  following  cities:  Lahore,  Jalandhar,  Lodhiana, 
Ambala,  Dehra  Dun,  Etawah,  Furrukhabad,  Allahabad,  Sangli  and 
Kalhapur.  High  schools  for  Christian  boys  and  girls  have  been 
established  at  Lodhiana,  Dehra  Dun,  Mussoorie,  Allahabad,  and 
Kolhapur.  Primary  and  middle  schools  for  both  Christians  and 
non-Christians  have  been  carried  on  in  all  the  towns  and  villages 
where  they  can  be  made  helpful  to  the  growth  and  intellectual  pro- 
gress of  Christian  children  or  used  to  further  the  evangelistic  work 
among  the  non- Christian  people.  In  recent  years  much  has  been 
made  of  industrial  schools,  especially  in  connection  with  the  schools 
for  orphan  and  indigent  boys  and  girls.     Such  Industrial  Training 

123 


X 


124  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Schools  are  established  at  Lodhiana,  Hoshiarpur,  Thanesar,  Saharun- 
pur,  Fatehgarh,  Allahabad,  Kolhapur,  Kodoli,  Sangli  and  Ratnagiri. 
Here  training  is  given  in  the  domestic  arts  and  industrial  sciences, 
carpentry,  tailoring,  sewing,  working  in  iron  and  steel,  weaving  cloth 
and  rugs,  etc. 

At  the  head  of  our  educational  system  are  the  two  colleges.  The 
Forman  Christian  College  at  Lahore,  and  the  Christian  College  at 
Allahabad,  and  a  Theological  Seminary  at  Saharanpur. 

From  the  Year  Book  of  Prayer,  it  appears  that  we  have  now  in 
all  209  schools,  with  an  average  attendance  of  8,564  scholars,  of  whom 
about  one-third  are  girls. 

The  next  great  auxiliary  to  our  work  in  India  was  that  of  publi- 
cation. The  first  great  duty  in  this  direction  was  the  translation  of 
the  Bible  into  the  vernaculars.  Into  this  work  several  of  our  mission- 
aries entered,  and  the  names  of  the  late  John  Newton  the  martyred 
missionary,  Levi  Lawenthal,  Dr.  Joseph  Owen,  J.  F.  Ullman,  and 
the  late  Dr.  Samuel  H.  Kellogg.  To  the  labors  of  these  men  we  owe 
a  debt  of  gratitude  for  the  scriptures  in  Punjabi,  Hindi,  Urdu  and  the 
Fashtu  languages.  A  Christian  literature  had  also  to  be  prepared, 
commentaries  on  the  scriptures,  Bible  Helps  for  native  preachers, 
books  and  tracts  of  a  spiritual  and  sometimes  apologetic  character, 
hymns,  and  sacred  songs  for  use  in  the  churches  and  Sunday  Schools, 
books  on  theological,  ethnical  and  philosophical  subjects,  besides 
books  for  general  reading.  Journalism,  too  claimed  a  place  and  the 
monthly  and  weekly  magazines  and  newspapers  were  established. 
Mission  presses  were  established  at  Lodhiana  and  Allahabad,  which 
with  the  aid  of  the  Bible  and  Tract  Society  of  England  and  America, 
have  published  an  extended  religious  literature,  a  literature  which 
has  had  wide  circulation. 

Another  auxiliary  to  our  work  grew  naturally  out  of  the  circum- 
stances of  the  people.  The  frequent  recurrence  of  famine  and  epidemics 
of  cholera  and  small  pox  and  the  almost  continuous  reign  of  malarial 
fever  filled  the  cities  and  villages  with  the  suffering  and  dying.  The 
people  were  without  any  proper  medical  aid.  The  missionaries  could 
do  little  at  first  beyond  distributing  medicine  to  those  immediately 
around  them.  During  the  seasons  when  famine  prevailed,  they  stood 
ready  to  aid  in  the  distribution  of  food  and  in  superintending  the  work 
of  famine  relief.  Such  beginnings  led  to  the  establishment  of  dis- 
pensaries and  hospitals,  especially  hospitals  for  women  and  children. 
There  are  now  twenty-four  hospitals  and  dispensaries  wherein 
140,467  patients  were  treated  last  year.  With  these  agencies 
the  missionaries  have  carried  on  the  great  work  of  evangelizing 
the  people  of  India.  Through  the  schools  they  have  tried  to 
mold  anew  the  thoughts  of  the  children  and  youth,  especially 
along  moral  and  spiritual  lines.  By  the  printed  page,  they 
havQ  spread  abroad  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel^ir^  thousands  of 
towns  and  villages  where  the  living  messenger  has  ffone.     In  their 


India's  immediate  needs  125 

endeavor  to  relieve  suffering  by  food  and  medicine,  they  have  been 
able  to  reach  multitudes  personally  under  conditions  most  favorable. 
When  the  way  was  open,  they  went  out  accompanied  by  native  con- 
verts to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  streets  and  highways  often  touring 
for  months  through  the  country  visiting  scores  and  hundreds  of  vil- 
lages. As  the  number  of  Christians  increased,  the  need  of  native 
pastors  and  evangelists  became  great,  and  training  schools  were 
established.  The  trained  men  then  placed  in  charge  of  important 
districts,  which  now  became  centers  of  influence,  and  through  them 
new  communities  of  Christians  and  new  churches  have  been  formed. 

In  this  way  the  church  has  so  expanded  as  to  comprise  200  stations 
with  forty  organized  churches,  besides  many  preaching  places. 
There  is  now  connected  with  these  communities  a  total  membership 
of  16,065  souls,  of  whom  4,983  are  communicants.  The  Sunday 
Schools  maintained  in  connection  with  these  churches  number  a 
total  membership  of  9,406,  of  whom  many  are  children  of  non-Chris- 
tian parents.  These  churches  are  connected  with  five  Presbyteries 
and  three  Synods  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  India.  The  united 
church  comprises  sixteen  Presbyteries  and  six  Synods,  with  a  total 
membership  of  about  50,000.  The  establishment  of  this  national 
Presbyterian  church  marks  a  new  era  in  Protestant  missionary  work 
in  India.  The  present  strength  of  our  missionary  force  in  India  may 
be  indicated  by  the  following  table: 

58  missionaries  of  whom  four  are  medical  missionaries. 

47  lady  missionaries  of  whom  seven  are  doctors. 

626  native  assistants,  of  whom  133  are  ordained  ministers  and 
licentiates. 

This  force  is  not  only  vastly  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  field 
now  occupied,  but  greatly  wanting  for  the  proper  encouragement 
of  the  work  already  in  hand.  Let  us  look  at  this  matter  in  its  dual 
character. 

1.  The  needs  of  our  India  field  in  its  fullest  extent. 

2.  The  needs  of  the  field  in  the  light  of  work  already  undertaken. 
On  the  first  point  let  us  note  that  were  every  ordained  missionary 

and  native  minister  and  licentiate  to  have  a  bishopric,  the  average  of 
population  assigned  to  each  would  be  about  125,000.  A  few  years 
since,  the  missionaries  of  our  church  in  India  held  special  conferences 
to  examine  the  needs  of  their  fields.  As  a  result  they  discovered  that 
to  meet  the  want,  the  Board  in  New  York  would  have  to  send  out  at 
least  200  more  missionaries,  men  and  women,  and  provide  houses 
for  them  to  live  in,  and  supply  the  help  they  would  require  to  properly 
carry  on  their  work.  This  means  that  they  would  have  to  multiply 
their  force  by  five.  Reckoning  the  expense  of  sending  out  and  main- 
taining these  missionaries,  we  find  that  the  minimum  annual  cost 
would  be  $300,000. 

In  regard  to  the  second  proposition,  which  we  wish  especially  to 
emphasize  at  this  time,  viz. :  The  present  need  of  India  if  the  ^ork 


126  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

already  begun  is  to  be  carried  on  efficienlly,  I  feel  that  we  should  have 
the  following  addition  to  our  force: 

1.  A  large  accession  to  our  missionary  force.  For  the  Punjab 
Mission  we  urgently  need  ten  ordained  missionaries,  three  lady 
physicians,  and  five  single  lady  missionaries.  Some  of  our  present 
staff  are  advanced  in  years  and  young  men  should  be  sent  at  once  to 
be  able  to  fill  up  the  rank  soon  to  be  depleted.  Then  there  is  special 
need  for  extending  the  village  work,  where  the  opportunity  of  large 
ingatherings  is  greater  then  ever  before.  A  similar  statement  might 
be  made  on  behalf  of  the  North  India  Mission. 

2.  A  second  item  of  present  need  is  that  of  endowment  for  high 
schools  and  colleges.  The  agency  which  first  gained  for  us  access 
to  the  heart  of  India  was  education.  This  agency  is  yet  most  im- 
portant. It  is  that  which  enables  us  most  powerfully  to  influence 
the  upper  classes.  We  get  hold  of  their  children  at  the  most  pliable 
period  of  their  lives.  Through  the  children  we  keep  in  touch  with 
their  parents  and  friends.  And  yet  no  institution  is  so  constantly 
jeopardized  as  is  the  school.  The  very  success  of  the  work  it  is  set 
to  do  is  often  that  which  menaces  its  existence.  To  illustrate:  Our 
college  at  Lahore  may  be  receiving  as  much  as  a  thousand  dollars  a 
month  in  fees  from  its  non- Christian  patrons,  when  one  of  the  students 
feels  impelled  to  confess  his  faith  in  the  Christ  who  has  been  held 
up  before  him  every  day  since  he  entered  college.  What  is  the  prob- 
able effect  of  such  a  conversion?  The  chances  are  that  such  pressure 
will  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  patrons  as  to  compel  the  withdrawal 
of  a  large  percentage  of  the  students  from  the'college.  The  expenses 
however  continue  the  same.  The  college  would  thus  be  crippled,  at 
least  for  awhile,  and  indeed  its  continuance  might  become  impossible. 
We  have  had  several  instances  of  this  kind  of  opposition.  Schools 
have  suffered  in  finance  and  have  been  crippled  as  to  their  usefulness 
for  years. 

If  the  non- Christians  alone  were  to  suffer  from  such  a  move- 
ment, the  case  might  be  more  easily  settled,  but  in  the  case  now  men- 
tioned, a  considerable  number  of  men,  at  least  thirty  or  forty,  who 
belong  to  the  Christian  community,  would  suffer  most  serious  loss. 
To  prevent  such  possibility,  and  to  place  such  a  college  on  an  inde- 
pendent footing,  there  should  be  an  endo^^^nent  fund  which  would 
stand  ready  to  assure  the  salaries  of  the  professors,  and  so  make 
these  institutions  independent.  Not  that  education  should  be  given 
to  the  people  free,  but  that  the  existence  of  the  colleges  and  schools 
should  not  depend  upon  school  fees.  Especially  should  we  seek  to 
endow  the  Forman  Christian  College  at  Lahore,  and  the  Christian 
College  at  Allahabad  and  place  them  upon  a  strong  foundation  like 
unto  that  of  Robert  College,  Constantinople,  and  the  American  College 
at  Beirut,  Syria.  Could  not  some  of  our  wealthy  men  do  for  our 
colleges  in  India  what  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  Mr.  Carnegie  have 
donfe   for  American   colleges?    A   million   dollars   endowment  for 


India's  immediate  needs  127 

these  two  colleges  would  practically  assure  their  perpetuity  amid  all 
the  turmoil  of  the  years  to  come. 

The  marvelous  progress  of  India,  and  the  very  encouraging  ad- 
vance of  the  missionary  work,  call  for  larger  undertaking  on  the  part 
of  the  churches  in  America.  Even  the  possible  achievement  of  the 
doubling  of  the  membership  of  the  protestant  church  in  India  during 
the  decade  ending  191 2  should  only  awaken  us  to  the  larger  respon- 
sibility which  must  for  a  long  while  continue  to  grow  upon  us.  Our 
hope  of  seeing  India's  people  become  Christian  within  the  present 
century  means  that  the  church  in  India  must  double  its  membership 
every  decade.  This  would  mean  that  the  churches  in  Christendom 
must  double  their  gifts  every  decade.  Such  marvelous  accomplish- 
ments can  only  be  brought  about  by  a  Pentecostal  shower  from  on 
High,  which  removes  from  all  eyes  the  scales  of  money  blindness, 
which  shall  enable  us  to  hear  the  command  of  the  risen  Jesus  ringing 
in  our  ears,  as  did  the  disciples  of  old,  "Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations." 
For  this  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  let  us  ever  pray,  until  we  shall 
feel  the  burden  of  souls  and  realize  our  accountability  before  God 
for  the  evangelization  of  the  millions  yet  unconverted. 


XXII 
JAPAN'S  NEED 

BY  REV.    JAMES    B.    AYRES 

Japan  is  a  country  of  astonishing  contrasts.  In  no  other  nation 
can  be  found  such  a  gulf  between  the  upper  classes  of  society  and  the 
mass  of  the  people.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  taste  or  even  of  class 
distinctions,  but  of  enlightenment.  And  although  this  gulf  is  hardly 
recognized  outside  of  Japan,  the  reason  for  it  is  not  far  to  seek. 

The  modern  civilization  of  Japan,  is  not,  strictly  speaking,"  an 
evolution  from  within.  It  is  not  of  the  people.  The  liberal  institu- 
tions of  Japan  are  not  an  expression  of  the  hopes  and  aspirations  of 
Japan's  millions.  Japan's  constitution  was  not  forced  from  an  un- 
willing emperor  by  a  popular  uprising.  The  great  mass  of  the  people 
have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  remarkable  progress  made  in  the 
arts  and  science.  There  has  been  nothing  in  the  life  of  the  masses 
that  has  demanded  or  even  sought  this  progress.  Everj'where  and 
always  the  changes  have  been  made  by  the  government  and  have 
been  handed  down  to  a  people,  at  best,  passive  in  the  matter. 

If  Japan's  progress  is  an  evolution,  it  is  not  from  the  people,  but 
from  a  certain  favored  class  in  the  nation.  When  Perry  opened 
Japan  to  intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  Japan  had  long  been  under 
the  feudal  system.  The  samurai,  or  soldier  class,  held  all  power. 
The  Emporer  was  a  puppet  in  the  hands  of  the  general-in-chief  of 
his  armies,  who  was  called  the  Taikun.  Many  of  the  nobility  or 
feudal  chiefs,  were  wholly  dependent  on  their  stewards  or  head 
retainers.  This  proportionately  small  class  was  practically  ever}'- 
thing  in  the  nation.  And  it  was  the  introduction  of  the  mind  of  this 
class  of  men  to  the  environment  of  western  thought  and  science,  that 
wrought  the  change  in  Japan. 

This  opening  of  the  Japanese  mind  to  western  thought  took  place 
just  at  another  crisis  in  Japanese  histoiy.  For  some  time  several  of 
the  more  powerful  clans  had  been  plotting  against  the  Taikun  to 
restore  (as  they  claimed)  the  power  to  the  real  emperor.  Had  this 
revolution  taken  place  without  the  introduction  of  western  ideas,  it 
is  quite  possible  that  it  would  have  ended,  as  many  such  a  movement 
before  it  did  end,  in  a  change  of  the  ruling  clan,  a  new  Taikun, 
without  any  real  change  in  the  form  of  government  or  permanent 
benefit  to  the  people.  But  the  men  who  restored  the  Emperor  to 
power,  were  not  only  truly  patriotic,  they  wTre  wi."e  enough  to  see 
that  the  times  called  for  a  radical  change.  They  saw  the  need  of 
more  power  in  the  central  government,  first,  to  hold  the  clans  in 

128 


JAPAN'S   NEED  1 29 

check,  second,  to  hold  its  own  against  the  nations  of  the  west.  This 
latter  thought  especially  moved  them.  How  was  Japan  to  hold  her 
own  with  the  Nations  to  whom  she  had  just  opened  her  doors?  They 
were  quick  to  see  the  evidences  of  the  power  of  the  U.  S.  and  England 
and  the  other  great  nations.  What  was  the  source  of  this  power? 
How  might  Japan  make  that  source  her  own?  With  these  two  great 
questions  in  mind  men  were  sent  to  investigate  conditions  in  Europe 
and  America.  They  did  their  work  well,  and  the  government  was 
reorganized  on  the  basis  of  their  reports. 

This  one  idea  explains  the  modern  progress  of  Japan.  It  was 
not  a  moral  reformation,  for  the  Japanese  holds  to  his  old  ideal  of  a 
man  even  to  this  day.  Much  less  was  it  a  religious  reformation. 
Only  in  isolated  cases,  so  few  that  they  may  be  practically  disregarded, 
did  the  Japanese  mind  penetrate  beyond  the  material  results  of  our 
civilization  to  its  real  source.  I  personally  know  one  such  man,  who 
has  told  me  of  his  wonder  at  the  power  and  enlightenment  of  the 
western  nations,  and  his  conviction  that  there  w^as  some  secret  source 
of  it  all  which  was  hidden  from  common  eyes,  and  how  when  he  first 
heard  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  his  heart  cried  "Eureka."  But 
such  were  rare.  Industrial,  commercial  and  political,  these  three 
cover  the  scope  of  the  reform.  Social  reform  was  talked  of,  and 
extended  so  far  as  to  the  introduction  of  European  costume  at  court, 
some  changes  in  court  functions,  garden  parties  and  balls  (forsooth) 
and  no  farther. 

In  order  to  develope  the  country,  railroads  were  built  and  Japan 
has  to-day  5,000  miles  of  railroads.  Industries  were  fostered  by  the 
government  and  a  merchant  marine  developed  under  the  same  foster- 
ing care,  and  to-day  Japan  is  a  strong  competitor  in  the  race  for  the 
trade  of  the  East.  Of  the  army  and  navy  no  need  to  speak  here, 
since  experts  have  filled  the  magazines  with  their  praises.  A  strong 
efficient  government,  paternal  to  a  fault,  has  been  established. 
Applied  science  in  agriculture,  in  sanitation,  etc.,  is  fairly  forced  upon 
the  people.  From  the  first,  the  government  bent  its  energies  to  the 
establishment  of  a  system  of  education,  and  the  result  is  remarkable. 
No  pains  or  money  has  been  spared  to  make  the  Japanese  schools 
what  they  ought  to  be  and  they  compare  favorably  with  the  schools 
of  any  nation.  The  government  claim  93  per  cent  of  children  between 
the  ages  of  7  and  10  in  school  but  a  close  examination  of  the  reports 
reveals  the  fact  that  only  70  per  cent  actually  attend.  Above  the 
grade  of  compulsory  education  conditions  are  not  so  good.  A  small 
proportion  only  go  to  the  next  higher  school  and  what  is  gained  in 
the  primary  school  by  those  who  go  no  further  is  soon  lost.  Still  the 
higher  schools  of  Japan  cannot  accommodate  one-half  the  applicants. 
The  choice  is  made  by  competitive  examination.  With  the  poverty 
of  the  nation  keeping  many  out  of  school  who  desire  an  education,  and 
the  lack  of  accommodation  in  the  schools,  shutting  out  more  than  half 
of  those  who  have  the  means  to  attend,  it  is  clear  that  the  eduv!:ated 


130  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

class  is  necessarily  limited.  Taking  the  usual  standard,  that  is  the 
ability  to  read  and  write,  Japan  stands  well  among  the  nations  as 
regards  illiteracy.  But  the  bare  ability  to  read  and  write  means  but 
little  in  a  country  that  uses  ideographs.  Many  a  boy  just  ready  to 
enter  college  cannot  read  an  ordinary  magazine  article,  not  because 
of  the  difficulty  in  following  the  line  of  thought,  but  because  he  is 
not  familiar  with  a  sufficient  number  of  ide^raphs  to  read  the  article 
at  all.  Those  who  do  obtain  an  education  are  removed  a  long,  long 
ways  from  the  less  fortunate.  And  enlightenment  in  a  general  sense 
has  penetrated  the  masses  but  slightly,  because  of  the  reasons  adduced 
above.  All  the  progress  of  Japan  has  been  the  result  of  the  work  of 
a  comparatively  small  portion  of  the  people,  and  the  great  mass  have 
been  left  to  continue  in  the  old  customs,  the  old  ways  of  thought  and 
the  old  manner  of  living. 

One  of  the  most  striking  differences  between  the  educated  and 
uneducated  in  Japan  is  the  difference  of  religious  belief.  A  Japanese 
boy  on  going  to  school  soon  learns  that  what  he  has  been  taught  as 
religion  is  nothing  but  a  confusion  of  superstitions  which  cannot  be 
believed  in  the  light  of  modern  science.  He  promptly  throws  them 
out,  and  with  them,  all  religion.  All  the  religion  he  has  ever  known 
is  superstition  with  which  an  educated  man  can  have  nothing  to  do, 
and  he  places  all  religion  in  the  same  class  without  further  investiga- 
tion. The  whole  influence  of  the  schools  is  materialistic.  The 
teaching  of  any  religion  whatsoever  is  forbidden  in  all  the  government 
schools  in  Japan.  This  prohibition  was  probably  aimed  at  Chris- 
tianity, but  it  is  hardly  necessary  in  the  higher  institutions  of  learning, 
both  pupils  and  teachers  being  almost  universally  indifferent,  to,  if 
not  antagonistic  to,  religion  of  any  sort.  The  following  utterance  is 
fairly  representative  of  what  this  class  think  of  religion.  "It  is  the 
superstitious  that  need  religion — with  no  God  to  worship  and  no 
immortal  soul  to  think  about,  educated  people  can  pass  their  lives 
very  pleasantly  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  that  nature  and  art  have 
bestowed  upon  them — of  what  use  to  them  is  religion  which  satisfies 
the  uncultured  mind?" 

This  class  of  Japanese,  believe  that  thought  is  secreted  by  the 
brain  as  bile  is  secreted  by  the  liver.  Mind  is  a  convenient  expression 
for  the  attributes  and  functions  of  the  brain.  Man  is  evolved  from 
the  matter  of  the  earth  and  when  the  spark  of  life  that  makes  him  an 
organism  goes  out,  he  will  again  become  dust  and  ashes,  and  nothing 
more. 

Morals  divorced  from  religion  have  fared  badly.  The  Japanese 
character  was  nourished  on  a  code  of  morals  called  "Bushido"  which 
means  "the  way  of  the  warriors."  While  this  code  was  intended  to 
fit  the  life  of  the  soldier  and  presented  the  ideal  of  that  particular 
class,  its  teachings  filtered  down  through  tlie  lov/er  classes  and  affected 
all  Japanese  living.  No  more  need  be  said  of  it  in  this  place  than 
that  'it  is  this  code  and  its  efficiencv  in  character  building,  that  has 


JAPAN'S    NEED  I3I 

made  the  history  of  Japan  of  the  last  fifty  years  possible.  That  the 
army  and  navy  of  Japan  are  its  two  finest  possessions,  is  due  to  this 
code. 

It  was  soon  seen  that  this  code  would  not  apply  to  the  altered 
conditions  of  life  in  New  Japan.  Something  more  was  needed  to 
fit  a  man  for  the  conquests  of  peace.  The  code  of  the  warrior  would 
not  fit  in  the  case  of  a  great  commercial  transaction.  And  the  Govern- 
ment cast  about  for  something  to  help  in  making  men  in  its  schools. 
Ethics  was  made  a  part  of  the  course  of  study  in  every  school  below 
the  grade  of  the  university,  and  the  Emperor  (or  the  government  in 
the  Emperor's  name)  sent  forth  the  following  rescript  as  a  basis  of 
teaching : — 

"Our  ancestors  founded  the  state  on  a  vast  basis,  while  their 
virtues  were  deeply  implanted,  and  our  subjects,  by  their  unanimity 
in  their  great  loyalty  and  filial  affection,  have  in  all  ages  shown  them 
in  perfection.  Such  is  the  essential  beauty  of  our  national  policy, 
and  such,  too,  is  the  true  spring  of  our  educational  system.  You, 
our  beloved  subjects,  be  filial  to  your  parents,  affectionate  to  your 
brothers,  be  loving  husbands  and  wives,  and  truthful  to  your  friends. 
Conduct  yourselves  with  modesty,  and  be  benevolent  to  all.  Develope 
your  intellectual  faculties  and  perfect  your  moral  powers  by  gaining 
knowledge  and  by  acquiring  a  profession.  Further,  promote  the 
public  interests  and  advance  the  public  affairs;  ever  respect  the 
national  constitution  and  obey  the  laws  of  the  country ;  and  in  case  of 
emergency  courageously  sacrifice  yourselves  to  the  public  good. 
Thus  offer  every  support  to  our  Imperial  dynasty,  which  shall  be 
as  lasting  as  the  universe.  You  will  then  not  only  be  our  most  loyal 
subjects,  but  will  be  enabled  to  exhibit  the  noble  character  of  your 
ancestors. 

"Such  are  the  testaments  left  us  by  our  ancestors,  which  must  be 
observed  alike  by  their  descendents  and  subjects.  These  precepts 
are  perfect  throughout  all  ages  and  of  universal  application.  It  is 
our  desire  to  bear  them  in  our  heart  in  common  with  you,  our  subjects, 
to  the  end  that  we  may  constantly  possess  these  virtues." 

How  any  educated  man  can  get  a  basis,  or  a  system,  of  ethics 
out  of  the  above  passes  my  understanding.  But  they  do  it  some  way 
or  other.  And  since  the  basal  idea  of  the  men  who  inaugurated  the 
program  of  progress  in  Japan  was  utilitarian,  the  system  of  ethics 
taught  is  always  utilitarian.  Of  the  teaching,  one  pupil  of  a  school 
of  the  grade  of  our  college,  says,  "Of  all  our  studies  ethics  is  the  most 
tedious."  Our  teachers  tell  us  we  must  be  honest,  truthful,  virtuous 
— all  of  which  we  know  very  well,  but  they  impart  to  us  no  moral 
power  to  do  these  things."  Does  not  that  sound  as  though  he  had 
been  coached  by  a  teacher  of  Christianity?  But  such  was  not  the 
case.  No,  the  mind  of  the  thinking  pupil  in  the  schools  of  Japan  is 
quite  able  to  discern  the  weakness  of  the  whole  system  of  ethics 
taught  there.  * 


132  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

The  results  of  this  teaching  are  far  from  satisfactory  to  the  leaders 
of  Japanese  thought  and  to  the  officials  of  the  Department  of  Educa- 
tion. The  Minister  of  Education  recently  called  a  meeting  of  the 
heads  of  schools  to  consider  what  could  be  done  to  better  the  very 
unsatisfactory  moral  conditions  prevailing  in  the  schools.  Well  may 
they  be  concerned.  Frivolity  and  unrest  mark  the  student  class  in 
Japan.  High  ideals  are  rare.  Character  and  manhood  are  crowded 
out  of  sight  by  position  and  wealth.  Commercialism  and  mammon 
worship,  despised  by  the  Japanese  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  are 
first  among  the  motives  that  actuate  young  Japan.  The  serious 
minded  among  the  students  are  in  a  pitiful  condition.  One  of  the 
brightest  of  the  students  at  the  university  at  Tokyo  leaving  a  letter 
saying,  that  though  he  had  studied  the  books  diligently  and  questioned 
his  teachers  closely  he  could  get  no  solution  to  the  riddle  of  life,  no 
answer  to  the  questions  "Whence  am  I,"  "Why  am  I,"  "Whither  do  I 
go?"  and  finding  life  not  worth  living  in  the  maze  of  doubt  and  dark- 
ness, he  was  about  to  leave  it,  cast  himself  over  the  brink  of  a  water- 
fall and  perished.  Since  that  time  42  have  followed  his  example. 
These  are  not  disappointed  failures  in  the  race  of  life,  not  students 
in  debt,  with  dissolute  habits  filling  them  with  remorse,  but  men  to 
whom  the  future  should  be  bright  with  promise.  Even  to-day  the 
roads  to  well  known  precipices  and  to  the  craters  of  active  volcanoes, 
are  guarded  by  police,  and  young  men  are  not  permitted  to  visit  such 
places  alone,  for  fear  of  suicides. 

The  men  who  whipped  Russia  were  nourished  on  the  ethical  code 
of  old  Japan.  One  of  the  brightest  flowers  in~ modern  times  of  that 
system,  is  General  Nogi,  the  hero  of  Port  Arthur.  Much  in  his 
character  and  utterances  reminds  one  of  the  ideal  Spartan.  But 
these  men  are  passing.  And  with  them  the  code  that  formed  their 
characters.  "The  Way  of  the  Warrior"  fits  in  the  army  but  not  in 
civil  life  under  present  day  conditions.  The  old  is  going  and  there 
is  nothing  to  take  its  place. 

And  what  of  the  masses?  Practically  they  are  just  where  the 
present  era  of  progress  found  them.  Many  material  advantages 
they  have  received.  Much  instruction  they  receive  from  the  govern- 
ment, all  intended  to  increase  their  ability  to  pay  taxes.  But  they  still 
hold  their  old  superstitions,  they  still  practice  the  old  customs. 
Shintoism,  the  original  religion  of  Japan,  is  out  of  the  field  as  a  religious 
and  moral  force.  Its  leaders  openly  admit  that  it  is  but  a  ceremonial 
cult.  Buddhism  is  corrupted  to  such  an  extent  that  its  own  magazines 
are  filled  with  calls  for  reform,  which  produce  no  apparent  effect.  A 
few  scholars,  like  Dr.  Anezaki  of  thelmperial  university,  are  preaching 
a  pure  Buddhism,  but  their  writings  have  little  effect,  being  too  far 
above  the  heads  of  the  masses  and  not  commanding  the  attention  of 
the  educated  class,  who,  as  shown  above,  need  no  religion.  The 
mother  temple  of  the  strongest  Buddhist  sect  in  Japan  is  in  the  hands 
of  a  Receiver,  the  dissolute  life  lead  by  the  priests  having  piled  up 


JAPAN'S  NEED  1 33 

debts  which  more  than  cover  the  value  of  the  property,  including  the 
extremely  valuable  art  treasures  of  the  temple.  The  Buddhists  sent 
chaplains  with  the  army  to  the  front  and  without  exception  they  were 
sent  home  by  the  authorities,  because  of  their  dissolute  habits.  The 
priests  are  not  only  covetous  and  idle,  they  are  immoral.  Blind 
leaders  of  the  blind  they  both  fall  into  the  ditch  and  the  Buddhism  of 
Japan  is  a  mass  of  superstition.  Ancestor  worship  is  the  least 
objectionable  form  of  the  more  common.superstitions.  And  so  pre- 
valent is  it  that  even  Admiral  Togo  celebrated  his  victories  by  making 
a  special  visit  to  Ise  to  worship  at  the  shrines  there.  The  worship 
of  the  God  of  lust  is  still  practiced,  and  Phillic  shrines  are  not  uncom- 
mon. One  of  the  most  wide  spread  superstitions  is  the  worship  of 
the  fox,  and  that  too,  by  people  of  all  classes  excepting  only  those 
whom  the  schools  have  made  materialist. 

Japan  has  the  unenviable  notoriety  of  being  the  most  licentious 
nation  of  the  world.  Such  at  least  is  the  almost  universal  opinion  of 
travelers  in  the  East.  Were  it  not  that  the  natural  temperament  of 
the  Japanese,  their  lack  of  what  we  call  "nerves"  makes  them  im- 
pervious to  much  that  effects  the  nervous  westerner,  it  is  difhcult  to 
see  how  the  whole  nation  could  escape  ruin  in  a  generation  or  two 
through  the  social  evil;  for  the  easy  virtue  of  the  mass  of  Japanese 
women  and  the  lack  of  healthy  public  sentiment  on  the  subject,  make 
the  gratification  of  lust,  which  is  both  intentionally  and  unintention- 
ally excited  by  sights  on  every  hand,  a  very  simple  matter.  Con- 
cubinage is  so  common  as  to  be  practically  universal  where  a  man 
can  afford  it,  and  no  stigma  attaches  to  it  in  the  public  mind.  The 
wife  has  no  redress.  She  may,  it  is  true,  leave  her  husband  if  she  has 
any  place  to  go.  But  she  is  not  likely  to  be  taken  back  into  her 
father's  home,  or  to  find  much  sympathy,  if  she  leaves  her  husband 
for  so  slight  a  reason  as  that  he  was  unfaithful.  The  real  ruler  of 
Japan,  Marquis  Ito,  leads  a  life  of  open  and  unblushing  licentiousness. 
Such  an  example  cannot  be  without  its  pernicious  effects.  As  the 
rush  and  intensity  of  the  West  more  and  more  supplant  the  quiet  easy 
going  life  of  old  Japan,  and  the  Japanese  acquires  more  of  the  ner- 
vousness of  the  present-day  Anglo-Saxon,  these  conditions  are  sure 
to  manifest  themselves  in  serious  physical  evils.  Their  deadening 
effect  on  the  spiritual  life  of  the  nation  are  only  too  apparent  to-day. 

Great  things  are  predicted  for  Japan  by  her  critics.  The  remark- 
able progress  of  the  government  in  the  last  fifty  years  is  taken  as  a 
basis  of  computation,  and  rosy  pictures  are  painted  of  her  future. 
But  unless  the  progress  of  the  government  finds  an  answering  advance 
among  the  masses,  unless  the  material  progress  is  safe-guarded 
by  a  corresponding  spiritual  and  moral  growth,  Japan's  progress 
will  surely  be  that  of  a  meteor.  Japan  needs  men.  Men  of  moral, 
not  to  say  spiritual  might,  and  such  men  are  not  nourished  on 
materialism  and  cannot  flourish  in  such  a  moral  atmosphere  as  exists 
in  Japan  to-day.     Without  Christianity  this  wonderful  people  are 


134  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

doomed.  Just  how  the  end  will  come  it  is  too  early  to  predict,  nor 
do  we,  who  believe  in  the  power  and  final  triumph  of  God's  Kingdom, 
care  to  indulge  in  such  speculations.  We  mtist  give  Japan  the  Christ 
who  can  save  her. 

Already  the  work  is  well  on  its  way,  and  among  the  brightest 
signs  for  Japan's  future  is  the  condition  of  the  Christian  Churches 
in  Japan.  Already  the  work  of  missions  in  Japan  has  passed 
the  initial,  yes  and  we  may  say,  the  secondary'  stage.  A  strong 
native  church  is  already  established.  It  numbers  among  its 
leaders  some  men  of  as  great  intellectual  power  and  adminis- 
trative ability  as  any  of  those  who  so  successfully  managed  the 
war  against  Russia.  Col.  Hibiki  who  was  chief  of  the  Commissary 
Department  in  Manchuria  during  the  war,  is  an  indefatigable  worker 
in  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Japan.  Rev.  Uyemina,  who  is  editor  of 
the  church  paper,  is  the  acknowledged  peer  of  any  of  the  editors  of 
Japan's  great  dailies.  The  native  ministry,  numbering  to-day  some- 
thing over  I, coo  men,  includes  a  goodly  number  of  such  men. 

The  church  in  Japan  is  on  the  whole  theologically  sound.  The 
Japanese  mind  is  not  philosophic  and  is  often  impatient  of  abstract 
distinctions.  Sometimes,  perhaps,  too  much  so.  But  while  there 
has  been  some  outcry  in  Japan  against  the  slavic  acceptance  of  the 
(so-called)  worn  out  creeds  of  the  West,  and  while  at  one  time  there 
seemed  danger  of  serious  defection  from  safe  standards  and  tendency 
toward  a  Unitarian  form  of  belief  was  threatened,  the  number  of 
ministers  effected  was  small,  the  reaction  was  prompt  and  decided, 
and  it  is  significant  that  the  man  who  stands  for  the  high-water  mark 
in  that  movement,  if  we  may  judge  by  his  public  utterances,  is  to-day 
returning  step  by  step  to  the  trinitarian  position. 

The  standard  of  Christian  living  is  not  that  of  the  United  States, 
perhaps,  but  that  is  too  much  to  expect  from  men  just  rescued  from 
and  still  living  in  the  midst  of  heathenism.  The  Christians  are  true 
to  Christ.  In  some  respects  higher  standards  are  maintained  than 
in  the  church  at  home.  Gratitude  for  salvation  is  more  frequently 
expressed  in  prayer  meetings  in  Japan  than  in  the  United  States,  if 
we  except,  perhaps,  the  Salvation  Army  meetings  of  this  country. 
Home  Missionary  Societies  have  been  formed  and  are  faithfully  sup- 
ported. The  evangelistic  fervor  of  the  native  church  in  Korea  has 
not  been  equalled  in  Japan,  but  the  Japanese  church  stands  far  ahead 
of  her  American  sister  in  this  respect. 

The  churches  in  Japan  arc  manifesting  a  spirit  of  independence 
that  is  full  of  significance.  And  this  thought  brings  us  to  the  question 
of  the  missionary's  position  vis-a-vis  the  native  church.  This  is  an 
old  question,  a  difficult  question,  and  an  ever  recurring  question.  It 
does  not  effect  the  large  class  of  missionaries  who  are  engaged  in 
educational  work,  whom  all  agree  are  needed  and  will  be  needed  as 
long  as  they  can  work,  and  perhaps  another  generation  after  them. 
But  the  relation  of  the  missionary  who  engages  in  direct  evangel- 


japan's  need  135 

istic  work,  to  the  native  church  changes  from  year  to  year  as  the 
church  grows.  As  the  growing  church  begins  to  feel  its  power  it 
claims  its  rightful  authority,  and  while  the  missionary  knows  that  the 
success  of  his  work  means  his  retirement  from  the  field  he  is  often 
so  engrossed  in  his  work  as  to  be  oblivious  to  the  need  of  re-adjustment 
until  it  is  forced  upon  his  attention  by  the  impatience  of  the  infant 
church,  and  in  many  cases  it  is  difficult  to  retire  gracefully.  The 
question  has  been  complicated  in  Japan  by  the  intense  national  spirit 
of  the  Japanese  Christians,  making  them  impatient  of  anything  like 
foreign  control,  and  more  especially  by  the  failure  of  two  or  three 
missionaries  to  appreciate  the  situation,  so  that  the  whole  body  of 
missionaries  cooperating  with  the  church  of  Christ  in  Japan  has  been 
hampered  and  restrained  by  this  very  small  minority,  from  making 
re-adjustments  and  entrusting  to  the  control  of  the  Japanese  more  of 
the  management  of  mission  affairs.  The  situation  became  acute  and 
threatened  the  progress  of  the  work  of  the  church  and  the  missions. 
The  Japanese  church  demanded  a  voice  in  certain  matters  of  manage- 
ment of  the  evangelistic  operations  of  the  missions,  and  the  re-actionary 
minority  among  the  missionaries  objected  that  too  much  had  already 
been  entrusted  to  them.  But  the  problem  has  been  solved,  and  the 
re-adjustment,  which  we  have  felt  for  sometime  should  be  made,  has 
been  made  in  our  own  Presbyterian  Mission,  and  the  mission  and  the 
church  are  already  entering  on  their  spring  campaign  under  the  new 
understanding.  There  is  no  real  question  in  the  mind  of  anyone  as  to 
the  continued  need  of  the  missionary  in  Japan.  It  depends  on  the 
character  of  the  missionary. 

Another  very  important  aspect  of  the  situation  in  Japan  is  the 
movement  for  one  Japanese  Church.  As  long  as  twenty  years  ago, 
union  between  the  Kumiai  (Congregational)  Churches  and  the  Itchi 
(United)  Churches,  the  latter  representing  Presbyterianism  in  Japan, 
was  agitated,  and  two  years  later  was  almost  an  accomplished  fact 
though  it  failed  for  the  time.  But  the  vision  of  the  union  of  all  the 
Japanese  churches  has  ever  been  present  before  the  eyes  of  the  Chris- 
tian in  Japan.  And  when  at  the  close  of  the  war,  some  of  those  who 
were  most  dissatisfied  with  the  relations  of  the  church  to  the  mission- 
aries began  to  say,  "If  we,  the  people  of  Japan,  can  carry  to  so  glorious 
an  issue  a  great  war,  why  cannot  we,  the  Christians  of  Japan,  carry 
on  the  work  for  Christ  in  our  own  land  without  any  foreign  assistance 
or  interference?"  Along  with  this  rise  of  the  spirit  of  independence 
came  a  strong  desire  for  the  closer — yes  for  organic  union  of  all  the 
churches  in  Japan.  Conferences  among  the  leaders,  not  missionaries, 
of  the  Methodist,  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  churches  were 
held,  and  a  sort  of  a  weekly  minister's  meeting  was  established  in 
Tokyo,  at  which  Union  was  the  principal  theme.  And  it  is  worthy  of 
note  that  union  of  these  three  bodies  would  include  two-thirds  of  the 
church  members  (Protestant)  in  Japan,  and  92  of  the  102  self-sijpport- 
ing  churches.     Union  is  sure  to  come  and  with  it  will  come  new 


136  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

evangelistic  fervor  and  an  era  of  accelerated  progress  for  the  United 
Church. 

Eighteen  years  ago  some  of  the  missionaries  of  Japan  came  to 
the  church  with  the  appeal,  "Give  us  the  men  we  ask  for  now,  and  in 
ten  years  or  at  most  in  twenty  years,  Japan  will  be  evangelized  and  will 
be  sending  Christian  missionaries  to  the  other  countries  of  the  East." 
While  the  church  did  not  do  for  Japan  all  that  was  asked  at  that 
time,  that  appeal  m.et  with  a  generous  response,  and  I  was  privileged 
to  be  one  who  was  sent  out  at  that  time.  But  alas  for  the  visions  of 
the  speedy  Christianization  of  Japan!  A  vigorous  reaction  against 
everything  foreign  set  in,  the  progress  of  evangelization  was  checked, 
and  the  vision  is  not  yet  realized.  And  as  I  came  into  contract  with 
the  Japanese,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  realize  that  they  would 
become  the  leaders  of  the  East,  and  that  the  Christian  church  of  Japan 
would  ever  become  an  evangelizing  force  in  China  or  Korea.  But 
the  vision,  though  premature,  was  true,  and  I  have  given  a  glad, 
though  delayed  adherence  to  the  position  of  those  prophets  of  twenty 
years  ago. 

The  political  influence  of  Japan  is  paramount  in  the  East.  Her 
rise  is  the  pattern  which  China  and  even  India,  are  seeking  to  follow. 
And  while  it  is  true  that  the  Japanese  church  has  sent  evangelists  to 
Korea  and  to  China,  only  a  few,  a  mere  beginning,  China  and  India 
are  saying,  "We  have  been  told  that  if  we  would  have  the  power  of 
the  West  we  must  have  her  religion.  But  behold  Japan  has  triumphed 
over  one  of  the  mighty  nations  of  Europe  without  Christianity.  No 
more  do  we  need  it."  The  Japanese  church  was  quick  to  see  the 
danger  in  that  argument  and  two  men  were  sent  to  India  from  the 
Y.M.C.A.  of  Japan  to  lecture  and  explain  the  situation.  So  promptly 
have  they  met  the  obligation  of  the  hour.  The  church  is  following 
close  upon  the  conquests  of  the  nation,  and  a  strong  self-supporting 
church  has  been  organized  at  Dalney. 

This  is  no  time  to  relax  effort  in  Japan.  The  church  not  only 
needs,  but  gladly  welcomes  our  cooperation.  The  strength  of  our 
position  should  encourage  us  to  renewed  effort.  For  if  the  church 
seriously  accepts  the  plans  laid  down  at  the  Omaha  Convention,  the 
end  of  Foreign  Mission  work  in  Japan  is  certain  to  fall  within  this 
generation. 


XXIII 
CONFERENCE    ON   KOREA 

An  Educated  Ministry  in  Korea 
by  samuel  a.  moefett,  d.d. 

Fifty  men  constitute  the  personnel  of  what  we  are  beginning  to 
designate  our  "Korean  Theological  Seminary."  Personnel  is  thus  far 
all  there  is  of  the  school.  This  "seminary"  is  a  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  method  employed  in  the  establishment  of  the  church  in  Korea. 

Nearly  all  of  these  fifty  men  are  evangelists  already  in  charge  of 
churches  or  circuits,  where  as  unordained  pastors  they  are  bearing 
the  brunt  of  the  work  of  caring  for  the  spiritual  needs  and  of  the 
pastoral  oversight  of  the  Korean  Church, 

Most  of  them  were  mature  men,  married  and  having  families, 
when  they  were  converted,  and  they  have  become  students  for  the 
ministry  by  a  process  of  natural  selection  from  among  the  many  who 
have  attended  the  Bible  training  classes  which  constitute  the  very 
foundation  of  the  great  evangelistic  movement  in  Korea. 

These  men  have  for  from  five  to  fifteen  years  participated  in  our 
Bible  study  classes  and  the  training  classes,  attending  each  year  from 
two  to  ten  classes — sometimes  as  students,  sometimes  as  teachers. 
The  classes  continue  in  session  from  ten  days  to  six  weeks.  Some 
are  for  all  Christians  and  inquirers  who  will  attend,  and  some  are 
for  specially  selected  evangelists,  colporteurs  and  church  leaders. 

The  time  is  spent  primarily  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.  Some 
time  is  given  to  conferences  and  discussions  upon  spiritual  topics  and 
questions  relating  to  church  administration  and  policy  and  all  forms 
of  Christian  activity,  and  the  nights  are  usually  given  up  to  evangel- 
istic services,  for  the  double  purpose  of  building  up  the  Christians 
and  of  reaching  the  unconverted  in  the  community.  In  over  four 
hundred  such  classes  this  last  year  there  was  an  attendance  of  over 
20,000,  of  whom  some  7,000  were  women.  These  classes  with  their 
results  are  the  most  marked  feature  of  the  work  in  Korea.  In  them 
all  our  Christian  workers  receive  their  training,  and  from  them  the 
leaders,  the  colporteurs,  the  evangelists,  have  been  selected. 

Four  years  ago,  from  among  the  most  advanced  and  most  capable 
of  the  evangelists,  seven  men  were  chosen  for  more  definite  and 
systematic  instruction,  with  the  thought  that  they  might  become  the 
first  ordained  ministers  of  the  Korean  Church. 

A  tentative  course  of  study  was  outlined  and  their  instruction 
begun.    Two  years  later  fourteen  more  were  received  as  candidates 

137 


138  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

for  the  ministry,  a  five  years'  course  of  study  and  reading  was  prepared 
and  assistance  in  their  instruction  secured  from  some  of  the  older 
missionaries  in  other  stations.  Last  year  another  class  of  twenty- 
nine  men  was  formed,  representing  the  work  of  the  four  Presbyterian 
bodies  having  missions  in  Korea, — the  Northern  and  Southern 
Presbyterian  Churches  of  the  United  States  and  the  Presbyterian 
Churches  of  Australia  and  Canada. 

The  Presbyterian  council — which  is  composed  of  the  male  mis- 
sionaries of  these  four  missions — indorsed  this  theological  work  as  its 
own,  and  requested  the  missions  to  set  aside  certain  men  to  assist  the 
Pyeng  Yang  missionaries  in  this  instruction.  When  under  our  plan 
these  fifty  men — all  but  three  of  them  supported  by  the  Korean  church 
as  evangelists  or  church  workers — were  organized  into  three  classes 
and  instructed  for  three  months  this  last  spring,  we  realized  that  we 
had  a  "theological  seminary"  on  our  hands,  and  that  thorough, 
systematic  and  adequate  provision  must  be  made  in  order  that  these 
men, — the  pick  of  the  Korean  Church,  consecrated  men  already  used 
of  God  in  the  ministry,  the  men  who  have  done  most  of  the  work  of 
gathering  and  caring  for  the  large  number  of  converts  in  Korea, — 
should  be  prepared  for  ordination. 

They  are  to  be  the  first  native  pastors  of  a  church  which  already 
enrolls  over  15,000  communicants  and  over  15,000  catechumens,  and 
has  besides  a  constituency  of  some  75,000  adherents.  This  church  is 
not-  an  exotic,  not  a  western  church  planted  in  Korea;  but  from  the 
proclamation  of  the  gospel  the  church  has  developed  as  a  Korean 
church  adapted  to  Korean  life,  and  on  a  Korean  basis  in  so  far  as 
Korean  life  and  customs  do  not  conflict  with  the  Scriptures.  The 
church  buildings  are  of  Korean  architecture,  unpretentious,  and  on  a 
scale  which  the  Koreans  themselves  can  provide.  Of  over  600  church 
buildings  not  more  than  twenty,  I  believe,  have  been  built  with  any 
assistance  from  America.  In  the  administration  of  the  sacrament 
Korean  bread  and  Korean  grape  juice  are  used;  and  this  same  idea 
carried  out  in  all  things  possible,  makes  the  Korean  feel  that  the 
church  is  a  Korean  institution,  that  it  is  his  church,  and  that  it  is 
his  duty  to  care  for  it  and  support  it. 

This  church  is  already  self-propagating,  is  largely  self-supporting, 
and  we  now  plan  to  make  it  self-governing.  This  year  we  expect  to 
have  some  forty  churches  fully  organized  with  ordained  elders,  and 
we  hope  to  ordain  the  seven  men  of  the  senior  class  in  the  "seminary" 
and  to  organize  a  presbytery  forming  the  "Presbyterian  Church  in 
Korea,"  permission  to  do  this  having  been  received  from  the  several 
General  Assemblies. 

COMPOSITE  BIOGRAPHY  OF  FUTURE  MINISTERS 

Of  these  seven  men,  the  oldest  in  Christian  experience  is  Han 
Syek  Chin,  who  was  baptized  in  1891.  He  was  then  a  successful 
young  merchant  in  Eui  Ju,  with  a  good  education  and  some  experi- 


CONFERENCE  ON  KOREA  1 39 

ence  as  a  traveler  in  Manchuria.  From  his  first  meeting  with  the 
"foreigners"  on  the  hillside  in  Eui  Ju,  he  showed  great  interest  in  the 
gospel  message,  secured  and  read  the  New  Testament,  soon  professed 
faith,  and  began  selling  tracts  and  Testaments  in  his  shop  and  telling 
others  of  the  gospel.  Coming  to  Seoul  for  further  study,  he  showed 
such  zeal  that  I  decided  upon  him  as  the  one  to  assist  in  the  opening 
of  the  new  station  at  Pyeng  Yang.  The  story  of  his  work,  of  the 
persecution  he  endured,  of  his  faithful  testimony  although  he  expected 
to  be  executed,  is  told  in  the  little  pamphlet  "A  Forward  Movement  in 
North  Korea,"  published  ten  years  ago.  Associated  with  Rev. 
Graham  Lee  and  myself  in  the  establishment  and  development  of  the 
first  church  in  Pyeng  Yang,  he  won  many  of  our  best  men  to  faith  in 
Christ.  For  ten  years  he  has  labored  in  the  country  east  of  the  city, 
where  he  has  established  seven  churches  and  to-day  is  an  elder  in  one 
of  these  of  some  300  people,  over  which  we  hope  to  see  him  ordained 
the  first  pastor. 

Elder  Yang  Chun  Paik,  baptized  in  1893,  is  the  youngest  of  the 
seven  men,  being  now  thirty-six  years  of  age,  but  is  probably  the  best 
scholar  of  them  all.  He  was  teacher  of  a  village  school  in  the  moun- 
tains of  the  far  north  when  he  heard  of  my  presence  in  a  near-by 
market  town  and  walked  ten  miles  to  see  me  and  hear  the  "foreigner." 
Study  of  the  Scriptures  brought  him  to  Christ,  and  he  has  been  the 
chief  native  agent  in  the  wonderful  work  of  the  Syen  Chun  Station, 
where  as  Mr.  Whittemore's  right  hand  man  he  has  put  the  impress  of 
his  character  and  scholarship  on  all  the  work. 

Three  of  the  men  were  baptized  in  1895.  Elder  Kim  was  probably 
the  first  sincere  believer  in  Pyeng  Yang,  although  not  among  the 
first  baptized.  In  the  first  gathering  I  addressed,  he  stood  and  asked 
pointed  questions.  Then  for  days  he  stood  outside  my  window 
listening  to  the  conversations  within,  and,  as  he  afterwards  said, 
"sizing  up  the  foreigner  and  his  teaching,"  He  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment privately,  then  came  for  conversation,  was  convinced  and  con- 
verted. He  was  something  of  a  mystic  and  had  spent  years  in  medi- 
tation upon  various  philosophical  teachings  of  the  Orient,  had  taught 
school  and  been  a  secretary  in  the  magistrate's  office.  After  assisting 
Dr.  Wells  in  evangelistic  work  in  the  hospital,  he  was  for  eight  years 
the  most  trusted  assistant  in  the  Pyeng  Yang  church,  until  from  over- 
work he  broke  down  nervously  and  retired  to  the  country,  where  he 
now  ministers  to  village  churches.  His  marked  spiritual  character 
led  to  his  selection  in  1900  as  the  first  elder. 

Elder  Bang,  now  55  years  of  age,  is  the  oldest  man  in  the  "semi- 
nary." He  is  preeminently  the  traveling  evangelist,  and  has  had  to 
do  with  organizing  more  country  groups  than  any  other  man.  In 
1894  he  was  a  leader  of  a  band  of  Tong  Haks, — revolutionists  who 
tried  to  overthrow  the  government  and  expell  foreigners.  Fleeing  for 
his  life,  he  came  to  a  little  village  where  Mr.  Lee  and  I  were  preachiing 
and  followed  us  to  Pyeng  Yang.     His  son,  now  in  America,  has  just 


140  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

been  secured  as  evangelist  among  the  Koreans  in  California,  and 
has  organized  eleven  groups  of  Christians  there. 

Elder  Song  had  declared  himself  a  Christian  after  a  beating 
received  at  the  prayer  meeting  in  1894,  when  the  persecution  was 
inaugurated.  He  too  was  tried  with  the  red  cord,  which  meant  that 
his  crime  was  one  worthy  of  death.  He  has  for  several  years  been 
an  itinerating  evangelist. 

Elder  Ye  in  1891  stoned  the  missionary  on  the  streets  of  Pyeng 
Yang.  He  was  then  a  "yamen  runner."  After  removal  to  Gensan  he 
was  converted  and  baptized  in  1896.  Accompanying  Mr.  Smallen 
as  cook  on  the  itinerating  journeys,  he  showed  such  zeal  and  power 
in  preaching  the  gospel  that  he  was  made  a  colporteur  and  then  an 
evangelist,  and  is  now  one  of  the  main  workers  in  the  territory  of 
the  new  station  at  Chai  Ryeng. 

The  last  of  the  seven  to  receive  baptism  (in  1897)  was  Elder  Kil 
Sun  Chu,  the  most  eloquent  preacher  and  the  greatest  spiritual  power 
in  the  Korean  Church.  Of  good  family,  the  son  of  an  ex-official, 
with  a  good  classical  education,  a  druggist  and  physician,  he  was  a 
searcher  for  the  truth  and  often  spent  days  in  the  mountains  in  medi- 
tation and  prayer.  Standing  with  bare  feet  in  the  snow  and  pouring 
cold  water  over  his  bared  shoulders  that  sleep  might  not  interrupt  his 
long  continued  prayer,  he,  like  his  intimate  friends  (now  Elders  Kim 
and  Chung),  was  longing  for  and  seeking  some  light  upon  life's 
mysteries.  Kim  first  found  the  Christ  and  then  led  Kil  into  the  light. 
He  is  now  the  "Spurgeon"  of  Korea,  a  mighty  power  as  he  preaches 
to  the  congregation  of  1,500  people  in  the  Central  Church,  or  teaches 
in  the  training  classes,  or  conducts  evangelistic  services  in  the  capital 
or  in  some  country  church. 

Blind  in  one  eye,  he  was  saved  from  total  blindness  by  an  operation 
for  cataract  performed  by  Dr.  Whiting,  the  whole  church  joining  in 
prayer  for  the  success  of  the  operation.  A  deep  thinker  and  a  man 
with  a  clear  perception  of  spiritual  truths,  of  beautiful  spirit  and  of 
rare  good  judgment,  we  eagerly  look  forward  to  his  becoming  the 
pastor  of  the  largest  church  in  Korea. 

EQUIPMENT  FOR  EDUCATION  SORELY  LACKING 

It  is  from  such  men  that  the  ministry  in  Korea  is  now  being  pre- 
pared. Their  course  of  training  involves  three  months  of  each  year 
for  five  years  spent  in  classroom  work,  supplemented  by  a  course  of 
reading,  by  attendance  upon  several  conferences  in  Bible  training 
classes,  and  by  teaching  in  several  of  these  classes.  The  rest  of  the 
time,  probably  seven  months  of  each  year,  is  given  to  the  oversight 
and  care  of  the  churches,  for  which  they  receive  salaries  of  from  $90 
to  $150  a  year.  None  of  them  read  or  speak  English.  Their  in- 
struction is  in  the  vernacular. 

<    For  this  theological  seminary  we  have  no  building  and  we  are 
gready  handicapped.     In  fact,  in  all  our  educational  work  we  are 


CONFERENCE  ON   KOREA  14I 

meeting  a  grave  crisis  because  of  inadequate  equipment  of  buildings 
and  endowment.  The  only  educational  building  in  the  station  pro- 
vided for  men  is  the  academy,  which  when  crowded  will  accommodate 
150  students.  Fifty  men  who  applied  last  year  were  sent  home 
because  there  was  no  more  room  for  them  in  the  classrooms  or  chapel. 

For  the  theological  school  we  had  recourse  to  the  use  of  the  former 
hospital  building,  now  given  to  the  ladies  for  use  of  the  girls'  school. 
By  closing  this  school  very  early  and  by  holding  our  theological  school 
late  in  the  spring  and  until  the  summer  rainy  season,  and  by  making 
use  of  the  women's  chapel,  we  made  shift  to  provide  classrooms  and 
accommodations  for  the  men.  We  need  buildings  for  this  work  and 
for  the  related  work  of  the  Bible  training  classes — which  number  an 
enrollment  of  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred  men — so  that  this  work 
need  not  necessitate  the  cessation  of  important  phases  of  the  work 
carried  on  in  the  academy  and  in  the  girls'  school  and  in  the  women's 
chapel. 

We  very  greatly  hope  that  some  one  will  make  provision  for  this 
need  by  a  gift  of  $25,000,  of  which  $10,000  is  needed  for  buildings 
and  $15,000  is  needed  for  endowment  sufficient  to  provide  the  yearly 
expenses  for  fuel,  lights,  repairs  and  janitor.  This  expense  would 
thus  be  saved  from  being  a  yearly  tax  upon  the  gifts  of  the  churches 
to  the  Foreign  Board — gifts  which  are  not  sufficient  to  allow  for  such 
advances  in  our  work. 

If  we  are  to  take  advantage  of  the  present  great  opportunity  m 
Korea, — if  we  are  to  conserve  the  already  great  results  achieved  in 
Korea,  and  provide  a  ministry  for  the  great  body  of  Christians  al- 
ready gathered  and  the  greater  body  which  we  believe  will  be  gathered 
in  a  very  few  years, — we  must  have  some  provision  for  our  educa- 
tional work.  We  have  the  work.  We  lack  the  equipment.  The 
Korean  Christians  are  providing  the  primary  schools  and  are  support- 
ing the  higher  educational  work  so  far  as  their  financial  ability  goes, 
but  they  are  not  equal  to  the  task  of  providing  the  larger  buildings 
and  the  endowment  now  needed. 


XXIV 
CONFERENCE  ON  PERSIA 

BY  REV.  S.  M.  JORDAN 

When  one  is  contemplating  a  journey  in  Persia  he  does  not  reach 
for  a  time  table  and  look  up  the  trains,  for  the  trains  do  not  run  on 
schedule  time  and  a  special  must  always  be  chartered.  He  does  not 
pack  his  suit  case  and  then  rush  for  the  station,  but  for  days  and 
weeks  before,  he,  or  rather  his  wife,  gathers  together  the  necessaries 
for  the  road — beds  and  bedding,  folding  chairs  and  table,  pots  and 
kettles  and  something  to  cook  in  them,  dishes,  cups  and  saucers,  tea, 
coffee,  sugar,  and  other  food  supplies.  When  all  these  things  have 
been  assembled  and  packed  in  the  immense  saddle  bags  especially 
constructed  for  the  purpose,  the  train  made  up  of  pack  horses  and 
mules  is  brought  in,  and  the  packs  loaded  on. 

To  one  able  to  adapt  himself  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  things, 
I  know  of  nothing  so  restful  as  a  journey  in  Persia.  As  we  ride  out 
of  the  city  gates  the  cares  and  worries  of  life  roll  from  our  shoulders. 
We  are  so  utterly  free  from  all  those  improvements  and  luxuries  that 
infest  civilized  life.  There  are  no  daily  newspapers  or  telephones  to 
molest  or  make  us  afraid,  while  the  post  offices  and  telegraph  stations 
are  few  and  far  between,  being  found  only  in  towns  and  villages  of 
considerable  size.  We  ride  along  through  the  vast  expanse  of  the 
desert,  the  majestic  mountains  towering  thousands  of  feet  high  on 
every  side.  Instinctively  the  words  of  the  psalmist  come  to  our  lips 
— "I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  mountains  from  whence  cometh 
my  help.  My  help  cometh  from  Jehovah  who  made  heaven  and 
earth."  The  ever  shifting  lights  and  shadows  on  the  bare  rugged 
mountains,  the  var}ang  tints  of  soil  and  sky,  the  occasional  mirage, 
the  passing  camel  caravan,  with  Father  Abraham  staff  in  hand  lead- 
ing the  way  to  Canaan,  all  lend  their  magic  to  the  desert  road. 

After  some  hours  of  travel  we  arrive  in  the  town  or  village  to  which 
we  are  going,  wearied  from  the  journey  and  ready  for  food  and  rest. 
We  do  not  inquire  for  the  best  hotel  in  town,  for  there  are  no  hotels, 
with  well  furnished  rooms  and  plenty  of  water  and  towels  for  the 
bath.  The  room,  when  we  have  found  it,  is  usually  about  eight  feet 
by  ten.  It  has  a  mud  floor,  four  mud  walls,  a  mud  ceiling  and  over 
that  a  mud  roof.  It  is  furnished  with  nothing  except  dust  and  fleas, — 
at  least  we  hope  there  is  nothing  worse, — we  always  expect  these  two. 
The  floor  is  sprinkled  and  swept,  the  furnishings  put  in  place,  the 
samovar  lighted  and  a  refreshing  cup  of  tea  drunk,  while  preparations 

142 


CONFERENCE  ON  PERSIA  143 

for  dinner  move  on  apace.  After  twenty  to  thirty  or  more  miles  in 
the  saddle  across  the  desert  sands,  under  the  blazing  Persian  sun, 
rest  even  in  such  a  place  is  sweet  to  the  wearied  body. 

But  it  is  not  for  pleasure  that  we  go  off  upon  these  tours.  We  have 
a  purpose.  We  are  fishers  of  men.  When  one  goes  fishing  he  must 
be  careful  to  present  the  bait  in  such  a  way  as  will  make  it  attractive 
to  the  fish.  Over  the  horn  of  the  saddle  hangs  a  set  of  holsters  made 
especially  for  carrying  Persian  New  Testaments  so  that  they  may  be 
ever  ready  at  hand.  As  we  ride  into  the  village  the  men  call  out, 
"What  is  your  business,  Sahib?  Are  you  prospecting  for  mines? 
Are  you  buying  antiques?  Are  you  purchasing  rugs?"  We  reply, 
"We  are  guides  to  the  hereafter," — sky  pilots  if  you  please.  The 
people  are  rather  impressed  with  the  strangeness  of  the  answer. 
Their  curiosity  is  awakened.  We  inquire  where  a  lodging  place  can 
be  found  and  someone  volunteers  to  guide  to  a  place  where  rooms  are 
let  to  travelers.  As  we  pass  along  the  streets  the  people  ask  our  guide 
what  our  business  is  and  he  replies,  "I  do  not  know.  They  say  they 
are  guides  to  the  hereafter.  You  had  better  come  and  hear  what 
they  have  to  say."  When  we  arrive  in  front  of  the  house  where  we 
are  to  lodge,  a  group  will  probably  have  gathered.  We  exchange  the 
customary  salutations,  "Peace  be  unto  you."  "Unto  you  be  peace." 
"Is  your  health  good  and  are  your  spirits  wound  up?"  Each  ex- 
presses the  hope  that  the  other's  shadow  may  never  grow  less,  and 
that  his  age  may  be  a  thousand  years.  As  we  sit  there  on  our  horses 
talking,  I  turn  to  someone  in  the  crowd  and  ask,  "Can  you  read  and 
write?"  That  is  not  an  insulting  question  in  Persia  for  not  more  than 
five  per  cent  of  the  people  in  the  villages  can  read,  and  those  who  can 
are  very  proud  of  the  accomplishment.  If  he  is  able  to,  he  replies, 
"Yes,  I  can  read  but  I  cannot  read  your  language."  "Let  us  see  if 
you  can  read  your  own  language,"  I  reply,  and  I  hand  him  a  Persian 
New  Testament.  Books  are  not  common  in  the  villages,  and  an 
educated  man  is  always  interested  to  see  and  the  people  to  hear  a  new 
one.  He  takes  it  and  opens  it  to  read.  Now  those  books  before 
starting  on  the  journey  have  all  been  trained.  They  have  all  been 
opened  so  often  at  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  Luke,  the  ninth  and  tenth  of  John,  and  the  thirteenth  of  Corin- 
thians, that  they  are  sure  to  open  at  one  of  these  places, — usually  at 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  man  begins  to  read.  When  he 
comes  to  "blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God,"  the 
missionary  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  outward  forms  and  cere- 
monies are  not  enough.  Prayers  repeated  five  times  a  day  and  ablu- 
tions scrupulously  performed  will  not  suffice.  A  change  in  the  inner 
life  is  required,  for  none  but  the  pure  in  heart  can  see  God.  The 
reading  continues,  and  all  listen  to  the  words  of  Christ  as  He  says, 
"I  came  not  to  destroy  but  to  fulfill  the  law  and  the  prophets."  Again 
the  attention  of  the  people  is  called  to  the  fact  that  Christ  says  that 
He  came  to  perfect  religion,  and  if  He  made  it  perfect  there  h  no 


144  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

need  for  any  other.  As  the  reading  continues,  seed  thoughts  are 
dropped  as  we  come  to  the  points  that  can  best  be  emphasized. 

The  missionary  goes  off  to  see  to  the  stabhng  of  his  horse  and  the 
people  continue  to  hsten  to  the  word  as  it  is  read.  When  he  returns 
he  will  find  a  group  ready,  waiting  for  the  message  he  has  come  to 
deliver.  Later  in  the  day  the  people  come  to  the  rooms  in  which  we 
are  stopping.  The  diseased  are  brought  to  the  physician.  We  visit 
the  sick.  Calls  are  made  on  the  influential  men.  If  there  are  ladies 
in  the  party  they  meet  the  women  of  the  village,  perchance  by  the 
single  fountain  of  the  place  where  they  often  congregate,  and  they  will 
tell  them  of  that  woman  who  long  ago  came  to  draw  water  as  they 
have  come,  and  found  Him  who  alone  can  give  the  water  which 
springeth  up  into  eternal  life. 

The  seed  of  the  Kingdom  is  being  sown  in  the  cities,  villages,  and 
by  the  wayside  and  we  know  that  the  time  must  come  when  we  shall 
rejoice  with  the  joy  of  those  who  harvest. 


XXV 
CONFERENCE  ON  THE  PHILIPPINES 

BY  J.  A.  HALL,  M.D. 

God  is  always  greater  than  our  faith  would  make  Him,  and  always 
answers  our  prayers  more  abundantly  than  we  ever  anticipate. 
It  is  not  so  many  years  past  that  the  burden  of  our  prayers  was  for 
the  open  door  and  the  opportunity  to  bear  the  message  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  the  people.  Now  God  has  in  His  providence  opened  the  doors, 
and  we  delay  to  enter  in.  We  have  heard  of  the  marvelous  opening 
in  Korea,  and  of  the  great  awakening  in  China,  and  I  am  glad  to  say 
that  for  the  Filipinos  also  the  door  has  been  opened  which  was  so 
long  closed  by  the  Friars.  They  had  the  people  completely  under 
their  control,  and  sought  to  establish  their  most  vicious  creed,  if  creed 
it  can  be  called,  for  when  you  see  the  people  enter  the  church  with  a 
booklet,  read  a  few  lines,  then  take  a  step  according  to  the  instructions 
in  the  booklet,  read  a  few  more  lines  and  take  another  step,  a  few  more 
lines  and  kneel,  bowing  before  this  image  or  that  picture,  and  so 
working  their  way  slowly  around  the  church  with  the  belief  that  in 
so  doing  they  have  warded  off  the  cholera,  or  rendered  themselves 
immune  to  the  small-pox,  or  laid  up  merit  against  the  soul  of  a  de- 
parted relative,  you  feel  that  salvation  for  them  is  a  matter  of  mechani- 
cal adherence  to  rule  rather  than  an  intelligent  faith  in  a  Redeemer. 
When  you  see  them  carry  their  infants  to  the  church  for  baptism, 
believing  as  they  are  taught  to  do,  that  without  baptism  there  is  no 
salvation,  but  before  the  priest  will  prepare  the  ordinance,  a  dollar 
and  twenty-five  cents  must  be  paid  in  the  case  of  the  poorest  of  them, 
and  more  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  it;  when  you  see  them  going 
to  the  church  to  be  married,  and  again  a  similar  sum  is  first  demanded, 
and  as  a  result  of  this  demand  scores  and  hundreds  have  lived  to- 
gether in  past  years  v/ithout  the  marriage  ceremony;  when  you  see 
them  being  carried  to  the  grave  by  way  of  the  church,  and  again 
a  dollar  and  a  quarter  must  be  paid  before  a  prayer  well  be  offered, 
you  feel  that  these  people  are  not  allowed  to  get  near  the  Savior 
who  said:  "Come  unto  me,"  but  are  kept  far  away  by  innumerable 
barriers.  I  have  known  of  cases  where  the  bodies  lay  at  the  church 
door  for  want  of  the  money  to  pay  for  the  prayers  until  the  police 
have  compelled  them  to  be  removed. 

But  these  conditions  are  fast  changing  as  a  result  of  the  American 
occupation  of  the  Islands.  The  Amicrican  Government  became  the 
first  missionary  agency,  and  whatever  may  be  said  about  it  being 
contrary  to  the  American  constitution  to  colonize,  and  unnecessary 

145 


146  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

from  an  economic  point  of  view,  I  have  this  to  say  in  reply:  That 
the  constitution  of  Almighty  God  is  greater  than  that  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  as  a  Christian  nation  the  United  States  could  not 
do  other  than  was  done  under  the  conditions  that  presented  them- 
selves. God  has  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  United  States 
Government  opened  the  way  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and 
there  are  to-day  over  one  hundred  missionaries  occupying  thirty 
stations  scattered  throughout  the  Islands.  The  Presbyterian  Board 
has  thirty-two  missionaries  occupying  nine  stations,  with  two  hos- 
pitals, three  dispensaries,  and  three  schools.  Already  there  is  an 
adult  membership  of  over  five  thousand  connected  with  our  own 
church,  sixteen  hundred  being  added  in  1905. 

My  own  work  has  been  at  Iloilo  on  the  Island  of  Panay.  It  is 
just  seven  years  ago  since  we  landed  there.  While  studying  the 
language  of  the  people,  we  rented  a  building  in  which  to  hold  services 
for  the  soldiers  and  other  English  speaking  people.  The  first  ser- 
vice was  held  the  week  before  Easter  1900,  and  here  we  see  the 
providence  of  God,  for  at  that  first  ser\dce  for  Americans,  there 
appeared  a  Filipino  and  his  wife.  They  had  just  returned  from 
Spain  and  while  there  had  been  converted.  As  they  returned  to 
the  Islands  I  suppose  they  had  been  praying  that  God  would  open 
the  way  whereby  they  might  make  known  this  gospel  to  their  brethren. 
We  had  been  praying  that  God  would  give  us  just  such  a  young 
man  as  Adriano  to  help  us,  and  here  we  were  brought  face  to  face 
at  the  opportune  moment.  The  first  service  was  held  for  the  Fili- 
pinos the  following  Sunday — Easter  Sunday! — a  fitting  day  surely 
for  the  resurrection  of  what  had  been  to  them  nothing  more  than 
a  dead  Christ.  About  seventy  people  attended  that  first  service 
and  the  number  never  grew  less.  In  a  few  weeks  they  filled  the  room 
we  had  rented,  and  we  rented  the  other  half  of  the  building  and 
tore  out  the  partition.  It  was  not  long  before  they  filled  that  room 
also,  so  anxious  were  they  to  hear  about  Jesus  Christ  the  Savior 
and  Redeemer.  In  less  than  six  months  we  had  received  as  the 
nucleus  of  the  future  congregation  at  Iloilo,  some  ten  members. 
The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  manifests  itself  in  the  same  way  among 
peoples,  namely,  the  possession  of  it  is  immediately  followed  by  a 
desire  to  give  it  to  someone  else,  I  remember  among  those  first 
converts  was  a  woman  from  a  neighboring  Island.  She  was  anxious 
to  have  the  message  proclaimed  to  the  people  of  her  \-illage.  The 
evangelist  was  busy  every  day  preaching  in  and  about  Iloilo,  and 
the  missionaries  could  not  yet  preach  in  the  language  of  the  people. 
She  asked  one  of  the  other  converts  to  go  with  her,  and  the  following 
Sabbath  morning  Paulino  stood  on  a  street  corner  in  her  village 
and  told  the  people  what  he  had  recently  learned  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  The  local  priest  sent  two  men  dowm  to  ask  questions  diffi- 
cult to  answer,  and  Paulino  could  not  answer  them,  but  there  was 
put  into  his  heart  the  desire  to  so  master  this  word  that  he  should  be 


CONFERENCE   ON  THE   PHILIPPINES  I47 

able  to  answer  any  and  all  questions,  that  he  might  convince  men 
that  what  he  preached  was  none  other  than  the  true  Word  of  God. 
A  few  months  later  he  was  engaged  as  a  language  teacher  and  later 
as  an  evangelist,  devoting  his  whole  time  to  the  work  of  preaching, 
and  to-day  he  is  the  ordained  pastor  of  the  self-supporting  congre- 
gation at  Iloilo  with  its  elders  and  deacons,  its  Sabbath  School 
superintendent,  officers,  and  eighteen  teachers.  I  remember  also 
a  young  man  who  came  to  the  chapel  door  during  the  hour  of  service 
and  listened  for  a  few  moments,  then  went  away.  But  something 
he  had  heard  remained  in  his  heart  and  the  following  Sabbath  found 
him  at  the  chapel  before  the  service  began,  and  he  remained  through- 
out. Before  the  service  was  finished  he  had  given  his  heart  to  Christ. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  in  the  employ  of  the  army,  working  with  some 
of  the  most  Godless  and  profane  men  I  have  ever  known.  Before 
beginning  work  on  Monday  morning  he  said  to  the  soldiers,  "Men  I 
am  now  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  God's  help  I  intend  to  follow 
Him."  The  men  swore  and  laughed  at  him,  but  Simeon  bore  it 
patiently  and  quietly  until  in  time  the  men  ceased  to  bother  him. 
Like  Andrew,  who  searched  out  his  more  gifted  brother,  Peter, 
Simeon  went  to  his  friend,  Francisco  and  told  him  of  the  news  he 
had  heard  and  gave  him  a  testament  he  had  procured  that  Fran- 
cisco might  read  for  himself.  A  few  weeks  later  Francisco  came  and 
said,  "I  have  been  reading  this  Bible.  I  used  to  think  more  of  my 
game  of  cock  than  I  did  of  my  children,  but  now  I  have  put  away 
the  game  cock  and  gambling.  I  have  learned  that  my  children 
are  given  by  God  to  me,  and  I  shall  now  try  to  teach  them  as  He 
would  have  me  do."  He  continues  in  his  work  as  a  harness  maker, 
but  spends  his  spare  time  in  preaching  and  teaching,  and  in  his 
tact  and  zeal  for  the  Master  resembles  the  Apostle  Paul,  from  whose 
letters  no  doubt  he  derives  much  of  his  inspiration. 

I  went  to  the  hospital  one  morning  to  find  a  stretcher  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  covered  over  with  a  sheet.  On  removing  this  I 
found  a  young  man,  educated  and  bright.  He  spoke  Spanish 
fluently  and  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  Government  office  in  Spanish 
days.  He  was  paralyzed  from  the  hips  down,  and  could  barely  use 
his  arm  and  hands  sufficient  to  feed  himself.  He  had  been  in  this 
condition  for  three  years  and  was  very  anxious  about  the  future. 
His  haughty  proud  look  said  plainly  that  he  cared  nothing  for  the 
foreigner  nor  for  his  teachings,  but  only  for  his  medicine.  The 
foreign  doctors  had  great  "luck"  in  treating  the  sick,  and  perhaps 
this  one  might  be  able  to  cure  him.  In  consequence  of  this,  nothing 
was  said  to  him  about  the  gospel  for  a  time,  and  another  patient, — 
a  poor  ignorant  mountain  boy, — was  put  in  the  bed  next  to  Pedro's. 
Pascual  had  a  compound  fracture  of  the  leg.  A  large  wound  had 
been  made  by  the  protruding  bones  and  had  been  stuffed  with  tow 
for  three  days  before  he  came  to  the  hospital.  Needless  to  sa^y,  it 
required  a  long  time  to  dress  the  wound  each  day,  and  as  the  wound 


148  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

was  being  dressed  he  was  told  the  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love.   At 

first  he  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  joke,  but  later  became  serious  and 
would  break  in  with  questions.  Later  I  was  delighted  to  find  him 
and  Pedro  discussing  the  gospel  together  and  singing  h^Tuns.  Here 
was  a  marvelous  thing,  for  Pedro  was  an  educated  city  boy,  who 
would  not  have  conversed  with  Pascual  the  ignorant  country  boy, 
whom  he  would  have  called  a  "tao"  or  a  servile  one,  but  now  Pedro 
had  been  lowered  from  his  haughty  heights  by  the  Gospel  and  the 
love  of  Jesus,  and  Pascual  had  been  raised  to  the  same  level  by  the 
same  Jesus,  and  here  they  were  on  common  ground, —  the  ground 
where  all  men  must  meet  ere  we  enter  into  eternal  life.  A  few 
weeks  later  Pascual  said  one  morning,  "Senor,  Pedro  and  I  would 
like  to  be  baptized,"  and  then  followed  one  of  the  happiest  hours  of 
my  life,  questioning  those  boys  on  their  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and 
finding  that  they  had  the  plan  of  salvation  as  clearly  before  them  as 
you  and  I  have  it,  and  that  their  faith  was  based  upon  the  same 
foundation  Rock.  A  few  evenings  later  these  two  cripples  were 
carried  into  the  front  room  of  the  hospital,  and  there  in  the  presence 
of  a  few  people  were  baptized,  confessing  Jesus  Christ  as  their  Savior, 
and  partook  of  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Pedro's 
progress  toward  recover}'  was  slow,  and  as  his  bed  was  needed  by 
other  and  more  urgent  cases,  he  was  carried  to  a  back  room  used  as 
a  lodging  room  for  country  people.  There  he  lay  on  his  mat  in  the 
comer  week  after  week,  translating  hymns  from  Spanish  into  Visazan, 
— the  dialect  of  the  people.  He  has  translated  and  composed  over 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  hymns,  and  none  are  more  popular 
than  some  of  those  translated  or  composed  by  Pedro.  One  is  the 
Lord's  Prayer  set  to  music,  and  is  sung  everywhere  amongst  the  Chris- 
tians. One  day,  far  in  the  mountains,  I  found  a  village  of  three 
hundred  people  not  one  of  whom  could  read.  They  were  eager  to 
learn  about  Jesus.  I  felt  that  an  occasional  visit  from  an  evangelist 
would  make  slow  progress  among  a  people  so  ignorant.  Before 
going  back  to  that  village  a  second  time,  I  said  to  Pedro  as  I  described 
the  situation  to  him,  "Would  you  mind  going  up  there  and  reading 
the  Bible  to  those  people  for  a  month?"  Immediately  his  face 
beamed  as  be  said,  "I'd  like  to."  Nine  of  those  mountaineers  came 
down  and  carried  him  away  to  their  mountain  home,  up  and  do\\Ti 
hills  that  are  almost  perpendicular,  all  because  they  were  in  earnest 
about  Jesus  Christ.  Three  months  later  a  letter  was  received  from 
Pedro,  enclosing  a  list  of  two  hundred  names.  The  letter  said: 
"Senor,  here  is  a  hst  of  two  hundred  people  in  this  village  and  in 
other  villages  round  about,  who  wish  to  be  baptized.  Can  you 
not  come  up  and  baptize  them?"  I  went  up  the  next  week  and 
baptized  many  of  them,  and  at  subsequent  visits  baptized  others. 
There  sat  Pedro  in  the  corner  of  a  house  with  a  crowd  seated  around 
on  the  floor.  He  would  read  a  verse  or  two  and  explain  it,  then  sing 
a  hymn,  then  a  verse  or  two  more,  further  explanation,  and  more 


CONFERENCE  UPON  THE  PHILIPPINES  I49 

hymn,  and  so  on  for  an  hour,  morning,  afternoon  and  evening,  Sun- 
day, Monday,  and  Tuesday,  there  sat  Pedro  busily  engaged  in 
teaching  the  people.  The  old  look  of  anxiety  for  his  physical  con- 
dition had  gone,  he  had  something  far  more  valuable  to  him  than 
the  power  to  walk.  The  old  haughty  look  had  disappeared,  and  in 
its  place  was  a  look  of  humility,  cheer  and  happiness, — Pedro  had 
found  Jesus  Christ,  had  taken  Him  into  his  heart,  and  delighted  to 
do  His  will. 


XXVI 

LATIN   AMERICA'S   CLAIM   UPON   HER   ANGLO-SAXON 

SISTER 

BY  REV.  GEORGE  C  LENINGTON 

In  considering  the  religious  questions  of  the  countries  to  the 
south  of  us,  it  will  be  within  our  province  to  examine  only  those  in 
which  the  missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  are  at  work. 
None  but  whom  are  familiar  with  the  successes  of  the  Gospel  in 
Mexico  since  Miss  Melinda  Rankin  began  sending  copies  of  the 
sacred  Book  across  the  border  of  the  United  States  in  1850.  In 
spite  of  persecutions  in  which  several  have  laid  down  their  lives  to 
witness  for  the  Savior,  the  Kingdom  has  grown,  largely.  In  Guate- 
mala City  Rev.  W.  B.  Allison  and  his  little  band  of  workers  are 
scattering  the  light  which  will  eventually  illuminate  that  w^hole 
republic.  Columbia  has  not  been  very  eager  for  American  Chris- 
tians in  the  last  few  years,  but  school  and  church  still  urge  the 
Truth  of  God.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  S.  Pond  valiantly  carry  on  the 
battle  in  an  out-station  of  this  Mission  at  Caracas,  Venezuela.  The 
gap  between  this  work  and  the  next  is  a  large  one.  For  the  steamer 
bearing  the  visitor  of  missions  must  be  occupied  till  Valparaiso, 
Chile,  is  reached.  The  force  of  workers  in  this  nation  is  rewarded 
with  an  ever  enlarging  influence  over  every  class  of  society.  Leaving 
now  the  glare  of  snowy  heights  and  rocks  heaped  upon  rocks  of  the 
western  coast,  the  Christian  student  finds  himself  on  the  gently  slop- 
ing table  lands  of  Eastern  South  America.  The  lower  district  in- 
cluding the  Argentine,  Paraguay  and  Uruguay  republics  is  manned 
with  evangelical  forces  by  the  Methodist  church.  In  Brazil — half  of 
the  continent  in  size  and  population — the  Presbyterian  church  is 
doing  a  work  that  ought  to  be  the  glory  of  every  member  of  that 
great  body.  By  the  resolutions  which  will  be  presented  to  this 
Convention  to-morrow  afternoon  for  their  consideration  the  Presby- 
terian Church  is  recommended  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  the 
evangelization  of  thirteen  millions  of  the  people  in  these  countries 
of  which  we  have  spoken.  As  only  China  and  India  surpass  this 
number  held  out  for  our  prayers  and  efforts,  w^e  can  easily  see  how 
earnest  ought  to  be  our  study  of  the  Latin  American  mission  field. 

IMPORTANT  PHYSICAL  REASONS 

press  the  claim  of  the  Southern  neighbors  upon  us.  No  other  aggres- 
sively Christian  nation  lies  so  near  them  as  we.  Mexico,  so  far  as 
railway  communication  is  concerned,  is  but  another  state  of  the 
Union.     Commercial   relations   and   Isthmian   Canal  interests  are 

150 


LATIN  AMERICA'S  CLAIM  UPON  HER  ANGLO-SAXON  SISTER       151 

throwing  bridges  from  our  shores  to  Central  America  in  great  num- 
bers. The  Western  coasts  can  never  be  reached  from  other  lands  as 
they  can  from  this.  Latin  America  is  our  "next  door  neighbor." 
South  America  can  justly  be  called  the  continent  of  superlatives  and 
supremes.  The  Amazon  river  with  a  watershed  which  is  well  nigh  in- 
conceivable is  lord  of  all  running  bodies  of  water.  The  great  Parana, 
draining  the  lower  half  of  the  continent,  is  only  second  to  him.  Acon- 
cagua and  other  peaks  of  the  Andean  Range  bow  to  no  other  moun- 
tains of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  and  acknowledge  masters  only  the 
loftiest  of  the  Himalyas.  The  largest  single  body  of  tillable  soil 
watered  by  natural  rainfall  stretches  from  the  coast  range  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  to  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic.  The  mineral  deposits 
of  the  West  and  the  vegetable  wealth  and  possibilities  of  the  East 
place  South  America  second  to  none  in  opportunities  of  the  future. 
The  hundreds  of  milhons  of  human  beings  which  will  soon  cover  these 
regions  cry  out  with  terrible  insistence  that  they  be  given  the  Chris- 
tian's chance  in  the  race  of  life.  This  continent  also  holds  the  palm 
of  having  received  the  world's  greatest  indifference. 

POLITICAL  CONSIDERATIONS 

urge  the  American  Presbyterian  Church  to  fulfill  her  trust  of  the 
Latin  peoples.  With  cannon  and  blood  America  has  announced  to 
the  world  her  adherence  to  the  Monroe  Doctrine.  Europe  has 
accepted  the  claim  and  called  upon  us  to  perform  the  duties  involved. 
Already  the  ecclesiastical  results  are  following,  and  the  Anglican 
churches  organized  in  the  Eastern  coast  cities  are  being  transferred 
from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Anglican  Bishop  of  the  Falkland  Islands 
to  of  that  Bishop  Kingsolving  of  the  American  Episcopal  church. 
European  missionary  activity  in  South  America  will  undoubtedly 
continue.  But  no  large  society  will  spend  its  energies  there,  unless 
the  American  churches  compel  them  to  do  so. 

While  it  must  be  admitted  that  jealously,  and  at  times  even  antag- 
onism, toward  the  great  Northern  Republic  is  manifest  in  South 
America,  there  are  still  stronger  indications  that  the  under  current 
through  the  generations  is  confidence  and  admiration  for  her.  Every 
republic  has  copied  the  Constitution  adopted  in  this  country  in  1788, 
making  only  such  changes  as  seemed  suited  to  the  different  condi- 
tions. Another  token  of  the  real  attitude  of  the  Latins  is  the  lan- 
guage of  the  daily  press.  Frequent  are  the  appeals  by  the  editors 
that  this  or  that  custom  or  practice  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  Republic 
be  imitated.  To  many  it  is  the  standard  to  which  they  wish  their 
nation  to  conform.  In  some  of  the  nations  this  attitude  of  unavowed 
liking  becomes  open  and  hearty  friendliness.  Perhaps  most  of  all 
Brazil  shows  this  feeling.  In  the  Pan  American  Conference  last 
year  Brazil  again  and  again  declared  that  it  belonged  to  the  interest 
of  every  Latin  American  republic  to  accept  the  assistance  which, the 
United  States  so  disinterestedly  offered.    The  Christian  missionary 


152  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

from  no  other  nation  can  count  upon  more  kindly  treatment  and 
courteous  hearing  than  the  American.  The  opportunity  is  his — 
Who  will  ask  whether  he  used  it,  or  not? 

THE  APPALLING  RELIGIOUS  NEED 

of  the  Latin  American  nations  is  one  of  their  most  convincing  claims 
upon  the  Church  of  which  we  are  a  part.  It  is  hard  to  realize  this 
as  being  true  of  lands  where  all  of  the  usually  accepted  evidences 
of  civilization  are  in  so  remarkable  degree.  Cities  like  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  fifth  in  size  of  the  Western  hemisphere,  present  to  the 
eye  buildings  and  improvements  that  would  be  impressive  in  any 
city  of  the  world.  Sixty  millions  of  dollars  have  just  been  spent  in  two 
public  works  that  will  challenge  even  the  metropolises  of  the  greatest 
nations  to  duplicate.  The  Avenida  Central  is  a  boulevard  running 
right  through  the  heart  of  the  city  for  over  five  miles  that  will  take 
rank  along  side  of  even  the  Champs  Elysees.  The  system  of  docks  and 
piers  which  is  being  installed  will  render  the  most  beautiful  bay  of 
the  world  also  one  of  the  most  convenient  for  shipping.  The  rail- 
roads, electric  railways,  telephone  and  telegraph  systems,  schools 
and  charitable  institutions,  elaborate  systems  of  government  and  all 
other  marks  of  modern  civilization  cause  the  superficial  onlooker  to 
ask  why  this  part  of  the  world  should  be  counted  as  a  field  for  mis- 
sionary operations.  A  little  study,  however,  will  show  that  all  of 
these  advanced  conditions  are  but  an  exterior  garment  which  has 
been  thrown  over  a  spiritual  body  which  is  terribly  far  from  being 
rightly  cleansed.  That  terrible  bane  of  Roman  Catholic  education 
for  hundreds  of  years,  imitation  instead  of  actual  appropriation,  is 
bearing  its  harvest  in  the  present  conditions  of  Latin  America. 

The  rehgion  which  has  been  unceasingly  handed  to  them  from 
European  sources  is  inadequate  to  satisfy  the  soul.  Ever\'  great 
leader  who  has  brought  freedom  to  these  peoples  has  declared  that  the 
religion  of  the  friars  was  the  most  potent  enemy  to  be  met.  By  it 
almost  the  only  thing  forbidden  to  its  devotee  is  the  use  of  the  Revela- 
tion of  God.  Within  the  last  three  years  in  the  city  of  Bahia,  with  a 
population  of  three  hundred  thousand,  the  archbishop  put  an  adver- 
tisement in  the  daily  papers  over  his  own  signature  commanding  all 
the  faithful  to  bring  every  copy  of  the  Bible,  or  portion  of  it,  in  their 
possession  to  the  square  in  front  of  the  cathedral  on  a  certain  day, 
that  he  might  burn  them.  The  national  government  was  inter- 
pellated on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  Chamber  whether  this  was  to  be 
permitted  in  Brazil  in  the  Twentieth  Century.  But  when  the  day 
came  the  great  man  had  his  bonfire  and  destroyed  some  dozens  of 
Bibles.  The  life  may  be  what  the  person  wishes,  if  only  the  forms  of 
religion  are  properly  attended  to.  An  instance  under  the  speaker's 
own  observation,  as  it  was  done  to  a  fellow  teacher  in  the  Protestant 
College  of  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  shows  how  little  importance  is  attached 
to  the  character  of  a  prominent  leader  in  its  work.    This  professor 


LATIN  AMERICA'S  CLAIM  UPON  HER  ANGLO-SAXON  SISTER        I53 

returned  from  a  visit  to  France,  his  native  land,  only  to  find  that  his 
wife  had  been  seduced  by  one  of  the  most  active  and  eminent  priests 
of  the  city,  and  persuaded  to  take  his  two  sons  and  leave  the  country. 
With  her  she  took  his  savings  of  several  years.  The  professor  tried 
to  secure  an  interview  with  this  priest,  who  had  been  seen  spending 
much  of  his  time  in  the  professor's  home  for  several  weeks  after  he 
had  sailed,  but  was  invariably  informed  that  he  was  not  at  home. 
Meeting  him  on  a  street  car  the  Professor  accused  him  of  having 
ruined  his  home.  The  priest  laughingly  rejoined,  "You  were  ordained 
a  priest  once.  How  can  you  have  a  wife  now?"  And  the  teacher  had 
to  content  himself  with  the  ridicule  of  the  entire  body  of  passengers. 
Bow  down  to  the  images  in  the  various  shrines,  and  be  sure  to  provide 
the  fees  which  are  graduated  by  the  means  of  the  person  paying — 
and  no  troublesome  questions  will  be  intruded  on  your  manner  of 
life.  The  abuses  and  selfishness  of  a  church  which  demands  every- 
thing for  her  own  temporal  interests  ha\e  reached  the  limit  of  en- 
durance in  Italy  and  France.  But  her  power  cannot  be  assailed  in 
the  small  and  disorganized  states  of  Latin  America,  and  the  slavery 
is  producing  Spiritualism  and  Agnosticism  to  an  incredible  degree. 

To  the  minds  of  the  South  American  perhaps  the  most  galling 
abuse  on  the  part  of  the  Roman  Church  is  that  his  country  is  made 
the  dumping  ground  for  all  the  refuse  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  The 
Carbonari  of  Italy,  the  ballots  of  Frenchmen  and  the  machetes  of 
Filipinos  drive  friars  and  monks  in  tens  of  thousands  from  their 
lands.  Press  notices  say  nothing  of  the  sailing  of  these  undesirable 
beings,  and  they  drop  out  of  the  world's  notice  after  the  rathet 
emphatic  expulsion.  But  the  streets  of  interior  towns  in  Latin 
America  see  them  before  long.  No  change  has  been  wrought  in  them. 
And  they  come  to  fasten  on  the  new  prey  just  as  they  clung  to  their 
victims  of  their  regions.  With  the  most  darkened  of  medieval  minds 
they  try  to  mould  conditions  of  to-day.  And  even  the  lowest  ele- 
ments of  society  keenly  resent  the  wrong.  The  secular  press  under 
nominally  Roman  Catholic  editors  tells  of  an  Italian  priest  who  had 
been  appointed  vicar  of  a  South  American  parish.  He  was  brought 
to  trial  in  court  for  wrong  to  one  of  the  young  girls  of  his  parish.  In 
this  trial  it  was  proven  that  a  few  years  before  he  had  shot  a  reputable 
citizen  of  Italy  who  had  caught  the  priest  in  adultery  with  his  wife. 
The  clamor  of  the  residents  of  the  town  had  led  the  church  to  promise 
to  punish  the  priest.  His  punishment,  evidently,  was  to  be  isolated 
in  a  country  parish  of  South  America.  The  revolt  against  this 
practice  of  sending  all  ecclesiastics  for  whom  places  cannot  be  found 
elsewhere  to  this  hemisphere  is  opening  a  wide  door  for  a  spiritual 
religion.     The  duty  of  our  Church  to  enter  it  is  a  pressing  one. 

THAT  WE  HAVE  MADE  THEIR  PAST  IMPOSSIBLE  LONGER 

lays  upon  us  a  burden  which  we  cannot  urge  for  other  shoulders.  ^  To 
pass  over  in  silence  the  political  effect  which  our  nation  has  wrought 


154  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

upon  all  the  republics  to  the  South  of  us,  the  existing  public  school 
system  in  almost  every  country  is  directly  or  indirectly  due  to  the 
influence  of  the  mission  school — in  many  cases  that  of  our  own 
church.  In  some  of  the  countries  missionary  teachers  have  been 
induced  to  leave  their  work  and  organize  the  government  system. 
In  1894  Dr.  Prudente  Moraes  sent  some  Brazilian  public  school 
teachers  who  had  come  to  him  for  instruction  to  the  American  school 
of  Sao  Paulo,  saying,  "You  will  find  there  in  operation  just  the  prin- 
ciples and  ideas  which  the  Government  hopes  to  make  the  basis  of 
its  whole  system."  That  Miss  Marcia  P.  Browne  had  been  taken 
from  this  school  and  made  head  of  the  State  Normal  School  show 
the  extent  to  which  this  educational  leader  believed  what  he  said. 

The  "Evangelical  Catholic"  church  which  stands  as  the  result  of 
a  generation  of  missionary  work  in  Latin  America  is  a  child  of  the 
American  church  which  must  be  strengthened  and  counselled  through 
childhood  and  youth,  till  she  reaches  full  stature  where  she  can  ade- 
quately evangelize  the  countries  where  she  is.  For  some  unaccount- 
able reason  the  growth  and  power  of  this  church  seems  to  be  unknown 
to  those  who  are  responsible  for  her  existence.  The  Presbyterian 
church  of  Mexico  counts  a  membership  of  over  five  thousand.  And 
that  of  Brazil  has  a  total  of  fourteen  thousand — ranking  as  one  of 
the  largest  churches  in  the  world  resulting  from  American  Presby- 
terian missions.  Remarkable  is  this  church  not  only  for  its  size, 
but  also  for  its  organization  and  aggressive  spirit.  Some  of  the 
national  churches  are  entirely  self-supporting,,  both  in  maintenance 
of  an  increasing  ministry  and  building  of  necessary  churches.  In 
Brazil  a  Home  Mission  Board  has  been  in  successful  activity  for 
fully  a  decade.  At  the  last  meeting  of  Synod  the  plan  of  self-sup- 
porting Presbyteries  was  adopted  in  order  to  render  the  work  still 
more  effective.  During  the  year  1907  this  great  church  will  or- 
ganize the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Brazil. 
And  a  definite  movement  has  been  set  on  foot  to  unite  all  Evangelical 
churches  in  that  country  into  one.  Of  course,  as  in  Japan,  it  will 
require  grace  and  patient  tact  for  the  missionaries  to  continue  their 
work  in  the  midst  of  such  an  active  Brazilian  church.  But  for  years 
to  come  there  will  be  vast  un evangelized  fields  for  the  most  deter- 
mined missionary  enterprise.  Compared  with  the  task  of  bringing 
the  250,000  Indians  of  the  United  States  to  obey  the  world's  Savior, 
the  undertaking  of  the  same  effort  for  the  4,000,000  Indians  of  South 
America  is  stupendous.  This  work  has  but  been  proposed — not  even 
mapped  out.  As  in  Venezuela,  there  are  but  one  or  two  workers  in 
several  of  the  smaller  nations.  In  the  program  now  being  adopted 
by  the  Presbyterian  church  for  the  performing  of  its  world  task,  may 
it  not  be  that  Latin  America  shall  at  last  receive  her  due  share  of 
love  and  service. 

Q.utside  of  the  actual  membership  of  the  Evangelical  churches 
there  is  the  large  body  of  people  who   are   dissatisfied   with   the 


LATIN  AMERICA'S  CLAIM  UPON  HER  ANGLO-SAXON  SISTER        I55 

religious  conditions  which  have  been  produced  by  the  dominant 
church.  These  are  eager  to  find  something  that  will  afford  them 
satisfaction.  Missionaries  from  various  parts  of  the  continent 
report  that  too  many  are  seeking  information  to  be  supplied.  In 
towns  where  there  are  no  Evangelical  services  congregations  of  from 
six  to  ten  hundred  persons  will  gather  to  hear  a  Protestant  preach 
the  Glad  Tidings  of  a  Savior.  In  communities  where  no  missionary 
has  been  able  to  go,  groups  of  men  have  gathered  to  study  the  Bible, 
believing  that  this  book  will  show  them  the  true  way.  In  one  such 
a  village  a  missionary  on  his  first  visit  found  over  seventy  peopie 
who  were  ready  to  be  organized  into  a  church.  This  wide  spread 
hunger  shows  itself  in  long  journeys  to  hear  the  Gospel  message. 
Letters  are  coming  in  large  numbers  to  missionaries,  asking  that 
preachers  be  sent  to  teach  groups  of  Bible  readers  who  long  to  know 
the  way  more  perfectly.  The  harvest  is  ripe  now.  In  former  days 
the  people  who  stopped  to  think  lived  on  and  died  in  sodden  despair. 
But  now  we  have  carried  before  their  eyes  the  Bread  that  satisfies, 
and  they  are  reaching  out  trembling  hands  for  it.  Must  those  hands, 
weary  and  emaciated,  drop  back  empty? 

When  our  Lord  and  Master  heard  the  command  to  take  Him 
to  the  cross,  he  listened  to  Latin  words.  The  orders  to  drive  the 
nails  and  lift  the  cross  were  spoken  in  the  same  tongue.  It  was  a 
dark  skinned  child  of  Italy  who  ran  to  wet  His  lips  with  the  last 
human  kindness  which  He  received.  When  the  dark  hours  had 
dragged  out  their  gloom  to  its  end,  the  voice  of  the  Roman  in  com- 
nand  of  the  crucifixion  squad  broke  the  silence.  In  Latin  he  pro- 
nounced the  conviction  which  Calvary  engraved  upon  his  heart — 
"Truly  this  was  the  Son  of  God."  No  Anglo-Saxon  looked  on. 
Centuries  afterward,  the  sons  of  the  North  had  been  given  the  message 
of  the  Latin.  Now  that  their  children  in  our  ov^ti  part  of  the  world 
have  forgotten  it,  shall  not  the  Anglo-Saxon  bear  to  them  in  their 
darkness  of  ignorance  and  thraldom  the  news,  "Truly  this  is  the  Son 
of  God?" 


Might 

'^All  power  is  given  unto  MeJ* 


117 


MY  MISSION— A  BIBLE  READING 

By  Mr.  David  McConaught,  Chairman. 

"He  is  the  Mercy-Seat  for  our  sins  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for  the  Whole  World." 
1  John  2:  2. 

"For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life."     John  3:  16. 

"And  when  it  was  day  he  departed  and  went  into  a  desert  place;  and  the  people 
sought  him  and  came  unto  Him  and  stayed  Him,  that  He  should  not  depart  from  them." 
Luke  4:  42. 

"And  He  said  unto  them:  /  must  preach  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also,  for 
therefore  am  I  sent."     Luke  4:  43. 

"And  other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they 
shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one  Shepherd."     John  10:  16  . 

"For  there  is  no  difference  between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek;  for  the  same  Lord  over 
all  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him;  for  whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  saved. 

"How  then  shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  And  how  shall 
they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they  hear  without  a 
preacher?  And  how  shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent?  "As  it  is  written,  'How  beau- 
tiful are  the  feet  of  them  that  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things!'"     Rom.  10:  12-15'. 

''As  thou  hast  sent  me,  so  I  send  them."     John  17:18. 

"Ye  shall  receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you;  and  ye  shall  be 
witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth."     Acts  1 :  8. 

All  authority  hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye  therefore  and 
make  disciples  of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost:  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you;  and  lo, 
I  am  with  you  all  the  days,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  age.     Matt.  28:  18. 

Benediction:     Rkv.  Thouas  L.  Sexton,  D.D. 


tfi 


XXVII 

THE  MIGHT  OF  ISLAM  AND  THE  POWER  OF  THE 
GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST 

BY  S.   M.   JORDAN,  PRINCIPAL  OF  THE   AMERICAN  SCHOOL,    TEHERAN, 

PERSIA. 

Islam  is  a  mighty  power  in  the  world  to-day  because  of  its  230,- 
000,000  adherents  who,  though  scattered  throughout  many  lands  and 
speaking  diverse  languages,  yet  are  to  a  certain  extent  unified  by  the 
common  creed  they  all  confess  and  the  Arabic  terms  in  which  their 
religious  thoughts  are  expressed.  It  is  weak  in  political  strength, 
for  the  scepter  has  passed  away  from  Islam — King  Edward  rules 
over  more  Mohammedans  than  all  Mohammedan  rulers  combined. 
It  is  strong  because  of  the  larger  amount  of  fundamental  truths  which 
it  possesses.  With  the  Christian  the  Mohammedan  can  repeat, — 
"I  believe  in  God  Almighty,  maker  of  heaven  and  earth  and  in  Jesus 
Christ  who  was  conceived  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary  and  who  ascended  into  heaven.  I  believe  in  the 
forgiveness  of  sins,  the  resurrection  of  the  body  and  the  life  ever- 
lasting." It  is  strong  because  of  the  simplicity  of  its  creed  and  its 
lax  requirements.  No  reform  of  character  and  conduct  is  required. 
The  mere  repetition  of  the  creed,  "Allah  is  God  and  Mohammed  is 
his  prophet,"  makes  one  a  Mohammedan.  It  is  weak  because  it  fails 
to  supply  that  for  which  the  soul  of  man  cries  out,  fails  to  satisfy  its 
longings  for  higher  and  better  things. 

One  day  a  year  or  two  ago  two  young  Mohammedans  came  to 
me  and  said  that  they  wished  to  talk  to  me  about  becoming  Chris- 
tians. I  turned  on  them  rather  abruptly  and  asked,  "What  is  the 
matter  with  your  own  religion?  Have  you  been  faithful  in  it  that 
you  wish  to  exchange  it  for  another?"  One  of  them  speaking  for 
feoth  replied, — "Sahib,  when  a  man  is  on  a  journey  and  travels  and 
travels  and  never  reaches  the  lodging-place,  what  conclusion  must  he 
reach?  Must  he  not  decide  that  he  is  on  the  wrong  road?  We 
have  been  faithful  to  our  own  religion  but  we  have  not  found  that 
which  the  true  religion  ought  to  give.  We  have  not  found  joy  or 
peace  or  rest.  We  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  are  on  the 
wrong  road."  Of  course  with  such  an  opening  it  was  very  easy  for 
me  to  tell  them  of  Him  who  came  to  supply  the  longings  of  the 
weary  hearts  of  men  who  said,  "Come  unto  me  and  I  will  give  vou 
rest." 

The  fatal  inadequacy  of  Islam  to  satisfy  the  soul  hunger  ot  men 
is  well  illustrated  in  their  doctrines  of  prayer,  and  God,  and  heaven. 

159 


l6o  MEN   AND   THE    MODERN   MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Prayer  to  the  Mohammedan  is  not  drawing  near  to  a  loving  heavenly 
father  and  entering  into  union  and  communion  with  him,  for  they  do 
not  think  that  they  have  a  Heavenly  Father.  Instead,  a  great  Oriental 
despot  sits  upon  the  throne  in  heaven.  He  has  made  the  world  and 
set  it  spinning  but  he  cares  not  for  the  creatures  he  has  made  for  he 
has  bound  up  all  things  in  arbitrary  inexorable  fate.  Prayer  is 
simply  paying  tribute  to  their  despotic  king,  depositing  money  in  the 
bank  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  which  the  depositor  may  not  draw. 
An  answer  is  not  expected,  for  prayers  are  not  made  to  be  answered. 

To  the  Mohammedan,  heaven  is  a  vast  pleasure  park,  a  glorified 
harem  in  which  those  celestial  maidens,  the  houris,  are  the  chief 
attraction.  Heaven  is  a  place  of  carnal  pleasures  and  sensual  de- 
lights, nothing  spiritual,  nothing  pure.  Can  you  conceive  of  any- 
thing more  degrading,  more  utterly  defiling  to  the  soul  of  man? ' 

Islam  is  a  mighty  mountain  which  has  reared  itself  over  against 
the  onward  march  of  the  victorious  legions  of  the  Cross.  A  mighty 
mountain  whose  summits  are  crowned  with  the  doctrines  of  God's 
existence  and  His  unity,  and  whose  foothills  run  far  down  into  the 
quagmires  of  polygamy,  divorce  for  any  or  no  reason,  and  the  oppres- 
sion of  women. 

But  I  am  here  to  speak  not  of  the  might  of  Islam  but  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  "Not  by  might 
nor  by  power  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts.  Who  art 
thou,  O  great  mountain?"  Unto  thee  shall  come  the  armies  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  "and  the  mountain  shall  become  a  plain." 

From  the  beginning,  while  the  Mohammedans  in  Persia  were 
glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  medical  skill  of  our  physicians,  glad 
to  associate  with  the  missionaries  as  men  of  education  and  culture, 
representatives  of  a  higher  and  better  civilization  than  their  own,  yet, 
considering  themselves  to  be  improved  Christians,  Christians  up-to- 
date  if  you  please,  while  we  are  Christians  thirteen  centuries  behind 
time,  they  did  not  care  to  have  anything  to  do  with  us  relig- 
iously. They  approved  of  our  work  for  the  Nestorian  and  Armen- 
ian, the  Jew  and  Zoroastrian.  The  Mohammedan  believes  in  an 
evolution  of  religion,  that  the  religions  are  arranged  like  steps. 
First  there  was  the  religion  of  Adam  which  was  superceded  by  the 
religion  of  Abraham ;  that  by  the  law  of  Moses,  and  that  by  the  gospel 
of  Christ.  Last,  highest,  and  best  of  all,  perfect  in  every  way  the 
religion  of  Mohammed,  Islam  came  and  took  the  place  of  Chris- 
tianity. They  said,  "It  is  well  that  these  Americans  get  hold  of  these 
Nestorians  and  Armenians  who  through  centuries  of  ignorance  have 
become  corrupt  in  their  practices,  educate  them  in  their  schools  and 
make  them  better  Christians,  that  is,  bring  them  nearer  to  the  truth 
of  Islam.  They  bring  them  half  way.  We  are  grateful  to  them. 
They  convert  the  Zoroastrians  who  hold  the  religion  of  Abraham. 
"They  bring  them  up  two  steps.  One  step  more  and  they  will  have 
arrived  at  the  truth.    They  are  working  for  us.    We  are  grateful 


ISLAM  AND  THE  POWER  OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST  l6l 

to  them."  But  they  did  not  propose  that  the  children  of  the  faithful 
should  be  found  Avithin  the  contaminating  injfluences  of  the  Christian 
schools,  and  for  many  years  practically  none  were  found  there. 

The  young  man  who  claims  that  twelve  or  fifteen  years  ago  he 
initiated  the  present  Mohammedan  attendance,  told  me  how  he 
entered.  "One  morning,  my  father  brought  me  to  the  school.  The 
one  in  charge  said,  'No,  I  will  not  accept  you.  It  would  only  make 
you  trouble  if  I  did.  The  government  forbids  your  attending  our 
school.'  We  then  went  to  the  office  of  the  Prime  Minister  and  he 
wrote  a  letter  saying  that  my  father  was  a  friend  of  his  and  vdshed 
me  to  have  the  advantages  of  the  good  education  afforded  in  the 
American  school  and  he  requested  the  superintendent  to  accept  me. 
I  brought  the  letter  to  school  and  so  was  accepted."  Of  course  he 
was  accepted  for  we  have  gone  to  Persia  not  for  the  two  per  cent  of 
the  people  who  are  not  Mohammedan  but  for  the  98  per  cent  who  are 
Mohammedans  and  who  constitute  the  rank  and  file  of  the  nation. 
Others  seeing  how  it  could  be  done  went  to  the  Prime  Minister, 
brought  letters  and  were  accepted.  A  few  having  entered  in  this 
way  they  were  taken  as  a  precedent  by  others  who  came.  They 
brought  no  letters  and  none  were  required.  All  were  accepted  as 
fast  as  they  came.  But  the  increase  was  slow  and  the  pupils  entering 
were  boys  of  sixteen,  eighteen,  twenty  years  of  age  who  came  to  get 
a  smattering  of  English,  a  little  of  the  sciences  and  arithmetic  that 
they  might  obtain  good  positions  as  interpreters  with  commercial  firms 
or  in  the  Customs.  They  had  not  come  for  a  good  thorough  edu- 
cation. Six  years  ago  Mr.  Whipple  who  had  been  home  in  America 
some  time  was  returning  to  Persia.  He  was  our  guest  in  Teheran. 
One  day  at  luncheon  I  remarked,  "Last  year  there  were  66  boys  in 
our  school  and  of  these  22  were  Mohammedans."  He  looked  at  me 
in  astonishment  and  said,  "What,  Mr.  Jordan,  do  you  mean  to  say 
that  here  in  the  Persian  capital,  under  the  very  eye  of  the  govern- 
ment you  have  22  Mohammedan  pupils  in  school  and  no  objections 
are  raised?"  I  answered,  "No,  and  19  of  those  boys  bear  the  title  of 
nobility.  Khan,  and  three  of  them  are  princes  of  the  Kajar  family." 
"What!  princes  of  the  blood  royal  in  your  school?"  "Why  yes, 
Mr.  Whipple,  this  past  year  I  had  the  honor  of  expelling  a  prince  of 
the  blood  royal  from  the  school."  "You  expelled  a  prince!  How 
dared  you  do  it?  Things  certainly  have  changed.  A  few  years 
ago  if  a  prince  had  come  to  our  school  we  should  have  been  in  terror 
lest  a  mob  come  and  tear  down  the  school  and  we  should  have  let 
that  prince  do  anything  he  wished  and  never  said  him  nay,  lest  we 
might  incur  his  enmity."  I  replied,  "Conditions  certainly  have 
changed.  To-day  vve  treat  the  son  of  a  prince  just  as  well  as  the 
son  of  a  peasant  if  he  behaves  as  well,  othenvise  we  expel  him." 
We  accord  one  privilege  to  princes  in  our  school,  namely,  to  show 
by  superior  conduct  that  they  are  from  noble  families. 

The  best  part  of  it  was  it  worked  to  the  advantage  of  the  scliool. 


l62  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

The  Persians  said,  "Those  Americans  are  evidently  no  respecters 
of  persons  or  they  would  not  have  expelled  a  prince.  They  are 
sincere  servants  of  God;"  and  they  send  their  children  to  our  school 
in  increased  numbers. 

But  these  22  pupils  were  what  might  be  called  specials.  They  did 
not  indicate  a  normal  development  of  the  school  as  such.  They 
were  exceptions.  Now,  an  exception  is  something  that  proves  the 
rule  to  be  on  the  other  side  viz. :  that  Mohammedans  did  not  attend 
our  school  as  a  rule.  The  following  year  there  came  a  change. 
Boys  of  ten  and  eleven,  of  twelve  and  thirteen  began  to  come.  In- 
stead of  22  there  were  46.  Instead  of  66  altogether  there  was  an 
even  hundred.  The  next  year  there  was  the  most  significant  advance 
of  all.  Little  boys  of  six  and  seven,  and  eight  and  nine  began  to 
come — so  many  of  them  that  it  w^as  necessary  to  open  a  primary 
especially  for  Mohammedan  pupils. 

You  remember  Solomon  says  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun. 
If  he  had  come  out  to  Teheran  in  those  days  we  would  have  shownn 
him  something  new  under  the  sun — a  primary  for  INIohammedans 
in  a  Christian  school.  The  increase  has  continued  so  that  last  year 
instead  of  the  66  of  six  years  ago,  220  pupils  were  enrolled.  Of 
these  128  were  Mohammedans.  About  100  of  them  have  the  title 
Khan  and  a  number  of  them  are  princes  of  the  blood  royal.  We  are 
reaching  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  the  best  and  most  influential 
people  in  the  kingdom  as  well  as  the  poorer  classes.  Pupils  come 
to  the  school  from  every  part  of  the  country.  What  we  are  doing 
is  not  being  done  in  a  corner.  We  teach  the  Bible  openly  as  a 
regular  lesson  in  the  course  and  every  one  knows  it.  Sometime  ago 
the  Prime  Minister  rem.arked  to  me  that  he  kept  himself  informed 
about  the  school,  and  in  the  name  of  the  Persian  people  expressed 
his  gratitude  for  the  work  being  done.  As  a  number  of  his  under- 
secretaries are  or  have  been  pupils  in  the  school,  he  has  every  chance 
to  be  informed. 

It  may  be  asked,  "What  is  the  need  of  our  founding  schools  in 
that  old  land  from  which  so  much  of  our  arts  and  sciences  have  come ; 
from  which  the  wise  men  came  to  bring  their  gold  and  frankincense 
and  myrrh  to  lay  at  the  feet  of  Him  who  was  born  King  of  the  Jews 
in  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  when  our  ancestors  were  heathen?" 

Could  you  see  or  rather  hear  an  old  fashioned  Persian  school, 
your  question  would  be  answered.  The  little  boys  of  six  and  seven 
begin  their  education  not  by  reading  from  a  simple  book  in  the 
Persian  tongue  but  from  their  Arabic  Bible, — The  Koran.  They 
sway  their  bodies  back  and  forth  as  they  sit  on  the  floor  and  shout 
their  lessons.  The  teacher  sits  before  them,  in  his  hand  a  rattan 
cane,  which  in  Persian  is  called  the  "instructor."  If  any  boy  fails 
to  make  the  proper  amount  of  noise  the  "instructor"  helps  him. 

The  Persians  have  come  to  recognize  the  inadequacy  of  the  old 
fashioned  schools,  which  beside  being  faulty  in  method,  are  merely 


ISLAM  AND  THE  POWER  OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST  1 63 

literary  in  scope,  and  within  the  past  ten  to  fifteen  years  they  have 
opened  in  Teheran  some  thirty  or  forty  so  called  modem  schools 
modeled  somewhat  after  our  school,  in  which  the  same  subjects 
are  taught  as  in  the  schools  of  America.  But  the  superintendents 
and  teachers  never  having  been  properly  educated,  knowing  nothing 
of  pedagogy  nor  the  psychology  of  the  child  mind  are  not  qualified 
to  arrange  a  symmetrical  course  or  to  properly  instruct.  Mathe- 
matics especially  arc  a  stumbling  block  to  the  most  of  them.  Some 
years  ago  with  a  friend  I  visited  one  of  these  "modem"  schools. 
We  looked  on  in  amazement  as  boys  of  twelve  and  thirteen  solved 
difficult  examples  in  square  root.  I  said  to  my  friend,  ''Did  you 
ever  see  anything  like  it?  I  never  saw  such  wonderful  facility  and 
accuracy  in  schools  in  America.  Our  own  boys  in  our  schools  can 
in  no  way  compare  with  them.  I  do  not  understand  it.  I  wonder 
if  they  do."  When  the  examination  was  finished  and  all  had  cov- 
ered themselves  with  glory,  I  turned  to  the  teacher,  a  dignified  priest 
wearing  an  immense  turban,  made  by  winding  a  whole  bolt  of  cheese- 
cloth around  his  cap  (if  he  had  been  more  holy  he  would  have 
had  two  bolts  around  it)  and  asked,  "Your  Excellency,  may  I  be 
privileged  to  ask  a  question  or  two?"  He  replied,  "Certainly,  Sahib. 
Ask  any  question  you  wish.  They  have  finished  the  subject  and 
know  it  all."  And  they  had  completed  that  particular  book  on 
arithmetic  and  could  repeat  every  mle  and  solve  every  problem 
in  it  with  the  fatal  facility  of  a  phonograph.  I  turned  to  one  of  the 
brightest  boys  in  the  class  and  asked,  "If  a  kharvar  of  barley  costs 
eleven  tomans,  what  will  three  kharvars  cost?"  (The  kharvar  is 
the  Persian  ton  of  650  lbs.  and  the  toman  is  a  dollar.)  That  boy 
who  had  been  solving  difficult  examples  in  square  root  looked  at 
me  in  blank  astonishment  in  which  something  of  resentment  was 
mingled  and  replied,  "We  haven't  learned  that  yet,"  and  to  cap  the 
climax  the  learned  teacher,  the  priest,  bowed  to  me  and  in  all  sober- 
ness said,  "No,  Mr.  Jordan,  they  haven't  learned  that  yet."  As 
we  walked  out  from  the  school  I  said  to  my  friend,  "Was  not  that 
a  pitiful  exhibition?  Those  poor  children  are  having  all  their 
mother  wit  drilled  out  of  them  in  this  school.  If  we  had  gone 
to  the  comer  grocer  and  asked  his  nine  year  old  errand  boy  that 
question  he  would  have  answered  quick  as  a  flash,  thirty-three 
tomans,  for  they  are  as  bright  a  people  as  are  found  anywhere  in 
the  world,  but  here  in  this  school  they  have  come  to  believe  that 
arithmetic  is  a  sort  of  sleight  of  hand  performance,  a  jugglery  with 
figures  in  which  the  initiated  knowing  the  combination  are  able  to 
bring  forth  amazing  results  to  the  admiration  of  all  assembled,  but 
as  for  it  having  anything  to  do  with  the  matters  of  everyday  life  and 
common  sense,  they  haven't  learned  that  yet.  We  have  certainly 
learned  something  from  this  examination.  Now  is  the  time  to  hold 
one  in  our  own  school."  As  I  walked  into  the  large  schoolroom 
the    senior  class  in  the  high    school    were    at  the    board    solving 


164  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Algebra.  I  walked  up  to  the  first  boy  I  came  to, — he  happened  to 
be  a  relative  of  the  Shah — I  said  to  him,  "Shahzadeh,"(that  is, 
Shah-bom,  son  of  the  king,  the  common  name  for  princes  in  Persia) 
"the  length  of  this  room  is  60  ft.  and  the  width  is  30  ft.,  will 
you  please  tell  me  the  distance  from  that  back  comer  to  the  front 
comer  on  the  opposite  side."  You  see  the  subject  of  square  root 
was  on  my  mind  and  it  came  out  first.  He  paused  a  moment  or 
two  to  collect  his  wits,  then  squared  the  two  sides,  added  them  to- 
gether and  extracted  the  square  root  getting  the  correct  answer.  I 
was  somewhat  surprised  at  his  sohdng  it  so  promptly  and  said,  "You 
seem  to  understand  the  subject."  He  replied,  "Yes,  we  studied  it 
last  year  when  we  had  arithmetic."  I  said,  "That  is  very  good  but 
it  is  not  just  what  I  want.  That  was  only  a  starter.  I  am  wanting 
to  know  the  distance  from  that  lower  corner  to  this  upper  comer 
on  the  opposite  side.  The  height  of  the  room  is  25  ft."  Again  he 
applied  the  principles  of  square  root,  got  the  correct  answer,  71  ft. 
6  in.  and  a  fraction,  or  what  ever  it  was,  and  I  saw  that  he  understood 
the  subject. 

The  Persians  also  have  observed  that  the  people  in  our  school 
understand  what  they  study  and  that  we  understand  how  to  conduct 
a  school.  A  Pf^rsian  gentleman  will  bring  his  little  son  to  school. 
He  will  come  into  my  office  and  after  the  usual  salutations  he  will 
say,  "Sahib,  I  hear  you  have  a  factory  where  you  manufacture 
men.  Do  you  think  you  can  make  me  a  man?"  I  keep  my  face 
straight  and  ask  the  little  boy  a  few' questions.  They  are  as  dear, 
bright  children  as  in  America.  They  are  our  Caucasian  cousins,  so 
you  can  understand  how  bright  they  must  be.  He  answers  as  quickly 
and  politely  as  any  little  boy  can.  I  then  turn  to  the  father  and 
say,  "This  boy  seems  to  have  the  right  sort  of  stuff  in  him.  I  am 
sure  that  if  you  and  I  work  together  we  shall  be  able  to  make  a  first- 
class,  good  man  of  him.  I  assure  you  that  in  the  school  we  will 
spare  no  pains  and  no  expense  to  give  him  the  instmction  he  needs. 
We  bring  the  best  books  we  can  find  from  India,  America,  England 
and  Beirut.  We  arrange  the  curriculum  to  suit  the  powers  of  the 
children,  we  instruct  the  teachers  in  the  best  methods  of  teaching 
and  we  go  into  the  classroom  and  see  that  they  apply  those  methods. 
I  assure  you  that  we  shall  do  our  part.  Please  see  that  he  is  present 
every  day  on  time  and  that  the  right  kind  of  influences  are  put  about 
him  in  the  home  and  I  am  sure  that  he  will  come  out  a  good,  upright 
man." 

Now  in  that  factory  where  we  manufacture  men  one  of  the  essen- 
tial elements  of  the  formula  is  a  daily  Bible  lesson.  Those  little 
boys  gather  about  their  teacher's  knee  as  he  reads  to  them  the  stories 
that  delighted  our  hearts  when  we  were  children,  the  stories  of 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  of  Moses  and  Joseph,  of  Daniel  and 
QuecE  Esther — and  when  the  teacher  has  finished  reading,  they  in 
their  own  sweet,  childish  way  repeat  it  to  him.   He  turns  to  the  New 


ISLAM  AND  THE  POWER  OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST  1 65 

Testament  and  reads  to  them  in  the  same  way  the  stories  and  par- 
ables of  Christ.  The  children  commit  to  memory  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
the  twenty-third  Psalm,  the  ten  commandments,  the  Golden  Rule, 
and  other  passages.  The  next  year  they  read  parts  of  Genesis  and 
Exodus,  Luke,  and  the  other  three  Gospels.  The  first  year  in  the 
grammar  school  course,  they  read  the  Psalms  and  memorize  the 
first,  second,  eighth,  fifteenth,  all  those  Psalms  that  have  been  the  joy, 
the  comfort  and  the  stay  of  God's  people  since  David  sang  on  the 
hills  of  Judea.  We  teach  them  to  practice  the  truth  they  learn, 
to  hear  God's  word  and  do  it,  to  drive  out  the  bad  thoughts  from 
their  hearts  and  bad  words  from  their  lips  by  fixing  God's  word  in 
their  minds. 

By  the  second  year  in  the  grammar  school  the  most  of  their 
lessons  are  in  the  English  language  and  the  Bible  lessons  they  studied 
in  Persian  they  study  now  in  English.  The  Psalms  they  com- 
mitted in  Persian  are  now  committed  from  the  English  Bible.  The 
parables  they  memorized  from  the  Persian  New  Testament  they 
now  memorize  from  the  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament.  We 
do  not  argue.  We  do  not  discuss.  We  do  not  try  to  get  the 
darkness  out  of  their  little  minds  by  any  of  the  laws  of  logic.  We 
turn  on  the  light,  and  the  shadows  and  darkness  flee  away.  We 
fill  their  hearts  and  minds  with  God's  word  knowing  it  will  not  re- 
turn unto  Him  void,  for  it  is  His  own  word  and  He  has  promised 
that  it  is  shall  accomplish  that  unto  which  He  Himself  has  sent  it. 
We  hide  God's  word  in  their  hearts  knowing  that  just  as  magnetism 
hidden  within  the  steel  of  a  needle  will  draw  it  constantly  toward 
the  pole,  so  God's  word  hidden  in  the  heart  of  a  little  child  will  draw 
it  to  Him  who  said,  "Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me."  And 
the  result  is  that  all  of  them  are  morally  transformed.  They  accept 
Bible  ideals  and  Bible  standards,  as  the  true  ideals  and  standards, 
— that  is,  they  have  accepted  the  fruits  of  Christianity,  and  "by  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

Those  who  patronize  the  school  consider  that  we  are  fair  and 
square,  open  and  above  board  in  the  way  we  teach  the  Bible — and 
we  are  absolutely  fair.  Once  in  a  great  while  a  Persian  gentleman 
says  to  me,  "Sahib,  is  it  true  that  you  make  Christians  of  our  children?" 
I  reply  "No,  we  do  not  compel  any  boy  to  become  a  Christian. 
We  teach  them  the  truth  and  if  God  wills  them  to  become  Christians 
he  will  attend  to  that."  The  man  thinks  it  over  a  moment  or  two 
and  then  he  says,  "Well,  if  God  wills  my  boy  to  become  a  Christian 
what  have  I  to  say  about  it?  I  certainly  do  not  set  myself  up  as 
an  enemy  of  God."  You  see  the  very  foundation  of  their  creed  is 
that  all  things  are  as  God  wills.  The  Mohammedan  prefaces 
almost  every  sentence  with,  "If  God  wills,"  so  my  reply  is  quite  in 
accord  with  their  way  of  thinking. 

One  day,  some  years  ago,  I  said  to  the  tenant  officer  of  the  school, 
"Mirza  Mohammed,  go  to  the  house  of  such  and  such  a  prince  and 


l66  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

give  him  my  very  exalted  compliments  and  say  to  him  that  we  are 
deeply  grateful  that  last  year  he  conferred  upon  our  school  the  honor 
of  attending  it.  It  was  gracious  condescension  on  the  part  of  his 
royal  highness  and  we  are  duly  appreciative,  but  it  is  unnecessary  for 
him  to  take  further  trouble;"  which  in  English  means  that  he  was 
expelled,  but  we  break  such  news  less  abruptly  in  the  East.  Two 
days  later,  when  school  opened,  I  looked  over  the  pupils  as  they 
gathered  in  the  assembly  room  for  morning  prayers  and  among 
them  sat  that  young  prince.  I  called  up  the  tenant  officer  and 
learned  that  he  had  failed  to  deliver  my  message.  I  said,  "Very 
well,  tell  the  prince  to  keep  his  seat  as  I  wish  to  speak  with  him." 
When  the  Armenian  primary  and  the  Persian  primary  had  been  sent 
to  their  departments,  the  grammar  school  to  theirs,  and  the  high 
school  boys  to  their  classes,  I  called  the  young  man  into  my  office  and 
said  to  him,  "Shahzadeh,  you  remember  that  four  months  ago  I  called 
you  into  this  room  and  told  you  I  was  not  satisfied  with  your  char- 
acter. I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  have  not  seen  the  improvement  I  was 
hoping  for,  so  two  days  ago  I  told  Mirza  Mohammed  to  go  to  your 
house  and  tell  you  not  to  come  to  school  this  year.  By  mistake  the 
message  was  not  delivered  and  you  are  here  this  morning.  I  do  not 
wish  to  put  you,  a  prince,  to  shame  before  all  your  schoolmates.  If 
you  want  another  chance,  pay  your  whole  tuition  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year  instead  of  by  the  month  and  run  your  chances  of  being 
expelled  in  a  month  or  two."  I  remember  well  how  he  stood  there, 
a  tall  handsome  fellow,  m  his  long  oriental  robes  and  his  lambskin 
hat,  his  head  bowed  down.  I  knew  he  was  thinking  I  was  hard  on 
him.  He  lifted  his  eyes  and  this  is  what  he  said:  "Mr.  Jordan, 
when  you  called  me  into  this  room  four  months  ago  and  told  me  you 
were  not  satisfied  with  m"  character  I  supposed  some  of  the  boys 
had  been  lying  about  me.  iou  then  told  me  something  that  very 
much  surprised  me.  You  said  you  were  not  talldng  about  conduct 
but  character.  The  boys  had  told  no  tales,  but  from  my  face  you 
saw  that  I  was  impure  in  heart  and  cherishing  unclean  thoughts  in 
my  mind.  I  have  been  thinking  about  that  since  then,  and  I  suppose 
you  do  see  it  in  my  face,  for  God  knows  I  see  it  in  my  heart.  And, 
Mr.  Jordan,  what  is  a  young  man  of  Persia  to  do  about  it.  You 
expect  too  much  of  us.  Here  I  was  a  grown  man  when  I  came  to 
this  school  a  year  ago.  I  considered  myself  an  upright,  religious 
young  man.  I  said  my  prayers  regularly.  I  performed  the  ablu- 
tions. I  kept  the  fast.  I  did  everything  that  I  thought  a  young 
man  ought  to  do,  but  as  for  a  pure  heart  and  clean  thoughts  I  had 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing  till  I  came  to  this  school.  How  can  you 
expect  the  young  men  of  Persia  to  have  pure  hearts  and  clean 
thoughts?  We  do  not  have  such  an  idea  in  our  religion.  We  do 
not  have  such  an  expression  in  our  language.  What  are  the  young 
men  of  Persia  to  do  about  it?" 

This  evening  I  bring  to  you  the  question  of  that  young  prince. 


ISLAM  AND  THE  POWER  OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST  167 

What  are  the  young  men  of  Persia  to  do  about  it?  With  no  high  ideals, 
no  true  standards,  there  is  nothing  in  this  world  that  they  can  do. 
Bound  as  by  iron  bands,  powerless  to  move  are  they.  There  is  noth- 
ing they  can  do.  What  can  the  men  of  America  do  about  it?  It  is  not 
so  much  a  question  of  what  we  can  do  as  of  what  we  will  do,  for  we  can 
do  whatever  we  v/ill.  One  of  the  grandest  opportunities  the  world 
has  ever  seen  is  presented  to  us  in  that  old  land  of  Cyrus  and  Darius. 
The  Persians  have  av/akened  to  the  value  of  education  and  civiliza- 
tion. The  intelligent  classes  believe  that  Western  education  and 
constitutional  government  will  do  for  Persia  what  they  have  done 
for  Japan  in  the  past  forty  years.  Education  has  become  almost 
a  fad.  The  late  Shah  posed  as  the  leader  in  the  movement.  They 
have  opened  schools  for  themselves  and  brought  out  teachers  from 
Fvurope.  Although  their  efforts  hitherto  have  been  somewhat  crude 
they  are  destined  to  improve  for  they  want  education,  are  Vv^illing  to 
pay  for  it,  and  are  going  to  have  it.  Whether  it  is  rationalistic, 
atheistic  or  infidel  or  Christian  depends  on  us.  Even  if  they  could 
give  the  mental  training  desired  they  cannot  furnish  the  Christian 
standard  of  morals  and  the  high  ideals  of  life,  or  build  character 
requisite  for  the  regeneration  of  the  country      Our  schools  can  and  do. 

Education  and  civilization  are  sufficient  to  break  down  the  old 
religions,  but  they  give  nothing  in  their  stead.  It  is  as  if  one  of 
you  should  go  out  into  one  of  the  Persian  villages  and  say  to  a  man 
dwelling  there, — "This  old  adobe  house  of  yours  built  of  sun-dried 
bricks  and  plastered  with  rnud  is  not  much  of  a  house.  Over  in 
America  we  build  our  houses  of  stone  and  steel.  This  is  not  much 
of  a  house.  I  think  I'll  demolish  it  for  you.  So  you  proceed  to 
tear  it  down.  The  poor  man  then  camps  out  in  the  desert,  in  the 
cold  and  snow  of  winter  and  the  burning  heat  of  summer.  How 
much  benefit  have  you  conferred  upon  him?  Christian  education 
without  saying  one  word  derogatory  to  the  house  of  his  old  faith, 
without  saying  one  hard  word  against  Mohammed  or  Islam,  starts 
in  to  build.  And  some  day  that  boy  looks  out  of  the  window  of  his 
house  in  which  he  is  living  and  says,  "That  looks  like  my  old  house 
there  across  the  street."  He  looks  more  closely  and  says, — "That 
is  my  old  house.  If  that  is  my  old  house  then  where  am  I?"  He 
looks  about  him  and  perceives  that  he  is  living  in  a  house  built  of 
stone  and  steel  on  a  sure  rock  foundation.  As  the  full  significance 
of  the  truth  comes  home  to  him  he  exclaims,  "I've  moved !  I've 
moved!  I  did  not  realize  I  was  moving,  but,  thank  God,  I've 
moved !" 

What  can  the  young  men  of  Persia  do  about  it?  Nothing. 
What  shall  the  Christian  men  of  America  do  about  it?  Let  us  arise 
and  go  in  and  possess  the  land  for  Christ. 


XXVIII 

THE  GREATEST  OPPORTUNITY  IN  THE  WORLD 

BY.  MR.  J.  CAMPBELL  WHITE 
GENERAL  SECRETARY  OF  THE  LAYMEn's  MISSIONARY  MOVEMENT 

The  deepest  needs  of  the  world  are  spiritual  needs.  The  most 
powerful  forces  in  the  world  are  spiritual  forces.  The  greatest 
opportunities  in  the  world  are  spiritual  opportunities.  The  pro- 
foundest  obligations  in  the  world  are  spiritual  obligations.  Abso- 
lutely the  only  permanent  values  in  the  world  are  spiritual  values, 
and  all  of  us  face  inevitable  bankruptcy  except  as  we  are  investing 
our  lives  and  our  possessions  in  something  that  will  endure,  some- 
thing which  is  spiritual.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  our  Lord 
looking  down  through  all  the  mysteries  of  life,  and  understanding 
the  end  from  the  beginning,  gave  as  the  guiding  principle  of  our 
lives  this  command,  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  Seek  something  that  will  endure, 
therefore,  something  spiritual.  "For  we  brought  nothing  into  this 
world  and  it  is  certain  we  can  carry  nothing  out."  "Lay  not  up 
for  yourselves  treasures  on  the  earth,  but  lay  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  in  heaven,"  so  that  you  may  enjoy  them  forever  more. 
"Make  to  yourselves  friends  by  means  of  money,  that  when  it  shall 
fail,"  as  it  must  very  soon,  "the  friends  may  receive  you  into  the 
eternal  habitations."  There  are  men  who  are  putting  their  money 
as  rapidly  as  they  can  spare  it,  into  the  transformation  of  the  lives 
of  other  men,  and  they  are  thus  laying  up  treasure  in  heaven  which 
will  be  theirs  forever. 

My  friend.  Dr.  Goucher,  of  Baltimore,  before  a  great  convention 
in  Cleveland  a  while  ago,  made  the  statement  that  he  knew  a  man 
who  had  invested  $100,000  in  a  district  in  India  in  the  last  twenty 
years,  with  this  result,  that  there  are  to-day  50,000  members  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  that  district,  who  twenty  years  ago  were  idolaters. 
$100,000  invested  and  50,000  individuals  professing  their  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ!  For  every  two  dollars  invested,  a  soul  saved  out  of, 
heathenism!  I  would  rather  have  invested  that  $100,000,  with  that 
kind  of  a  result,  than  to  have  established  the  University  of  Chicago, 
great  and  helpful  as  that  is,  costing  its  ten  million  dollars  and  more. 

Mr.  Carnegie  has  put  a  great  many  tens  of  millions  of  dollars 
into  libraries  up  and  down  this  country,  and  I  have  nothing  to  say 
against  libraries.  I  am  sure  they  may  be  of  very  great  benefit  to  the 
nation  and  to  those  who  use  them,  but  I  desire  to  say  that  I  would 

168 


THE  GREATEST  OPPORTUNITY  IN  THE  WORLD        1 69 

rather  have  spent  that  $100,000,  producing  such  a  result,  than  to  have 
established  all  of  these  libraries.  I  believe  that  in  the  final  analysis 
of  histor}',  that  investment  of  $100,000  will  be  seen  to  have  accom- 
plished far  more  than  all  these  libraries  have  accomplished  or  can 
accomplish.  In  other  words,  there  isn't  any  investment  that  can  be 
made  in  this  world  which  is  yielding  so  large  returns  as  the  invest- 
ments that  are  being  put  into  the  transformation  of  character  through 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world. 

Christ  recognized  only  one  kind  of  greatness.  He  said  to  His 
disciples  that  it  w^as  very  different  from  the  kind  with  which  they  had 
been  familiar.  They  were  discussing  which  of  them  should  be  great- 
est, and  realizing  their  thoughts.  He  said  to  them:  The  standards 
of  my  kingdom  are  very  different  from  those  of  the  world.  In  the 
world  a  man  is  great  who  is  able  to  have  a  great  many  servants,  but 
in  my  kingdom  it  shall  not  be  so,  but  "whosoever  among  you  would 
be  great,  let  him  be  your  sen^ant,  and  whosoever  would  be  greatest 
of  all,  let  him  be  your  voluntary  bond-servant."  And  then  He  flung 
His  own  life  along  side  of  the  measuring  standard  that  He  had  laid 
down  by  which  to  gauge  theirs,  and  said,  "Even  as  the  Son  of  man 
came  not  to  be  ministered  unto  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  His  life 
a  ransom  for  many." 

On  the  Congo  a  man  may  be  valued  by  the  number  of  cattle  he 
may  bring;  on  the  Hudson  he  may  be  valued  by  what  he  is  worth  to 
society ;  but  by  the  River  of  Life  a  man  is  valued  by  what  he  is,  and  the 
only  consideration  that  gives  anyone  rank  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  is 
helpfulness.  Our  worldly  standards  are  going  to  be  very  seriously 
reversed  when  we  get  into  the  light  of  the  eternal  day.  Christ  in 
His  great  plan  has  given  every  follower  of  His  a  chance  to  have  a 
world-wide  influence.  Indeed  no  man  can  obey  Him  without  having 
a  world-wide  influence.  He  has  tried  to  tie  us  up  by  several  cables 
to  the  very  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  Mr.  Speer  was  emphasizing 
one  of  them  to-day,  the  great  command  to  "Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look 
on  the  white  harvest  field,"  and  we  are  not  obeying  our  Lord  unless 
we  are  doing  that.  We  are  not  entering  into  intelligent  sympathy 
with  Him  unless  we  are  trying  to  do  it.  He  also  asks  that  we  keep 
in  constant  touch  with  the  whole  world  through  prayer.  "The 
harvest  truly  is  great."  We  shall  see  this  when  we  "lift  up  our  eyes," 
even  as  He  saw  it  to  be  very  great  in  His  day,  and  "the  laborers 
still  are  few,"  though  centuries  have  intervened.  Therefore  He  said, 
"Pray  ye  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  thrust  forth  laborers  into  the 
harvest."  Are  we  doing  that?  Are  we  in  such  touch  with  the  needs 
of  the  world  that  we  can  pray  that  prayer  intelligently  and  frequently 
and  wait  and  watch  for  the  signs  of  its  answer?  And  then  He  said 
to  us  all,  and  not  merely  to  a  little  handful  of  us,  "Go  ye  and  disciple 
all  nations,"  and  no  man  of  us  is  free  from  this  obligation.  No  man 
has  money  enough  at  his  disposal,  that  he  may  give  to  the  procuring 
of  other  workers,  to  absolve  himself  from  the  responsibility  of*per- 


170  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

sonal  testimony  for  Jesus  Christ  until  the  message  is  carried  around 
the  world.  There  is  some  place  to  which  every  one  of  us  may  go, 
there  is  someone  to  whom  everyone  of  us  may  preach,  and  our  obliga- 
tion is  to  go  as  far  as  we  can  and  to  preach  to  as  many  as  we  can 
until  the  message  reaches  the  world.  There  is  also  the  obligation 
to  send  laborers,  and  that  is  the  obligation  which  special  emphasis 
is  naturally  placed  upon  in  an  assembly  of  business  men  who  hold  the 
sinews  of  war  for  this  great  world  battle.  "Whosoever  shall  call  upon 
the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.  But  how  shall  they  call  upon 
Him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed?  And  how  shall  they  believe 
in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they  hear 
without  a  preacher?  And  how  shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent?" 
That  is  good  logic,  bringing  right  down  to  us  who  have  the  power  of 
sending  representatives,  the  responsibility  of  embracing  all  the  world 
with  our  gifts.  And  so  by  our  studying  and  by  our  prayer,  and  by 
our  going,  and  by  our  giving,  Christ  is  trying  to  tie  us,  every  man 
of  us,  to  all  the  great  world-interests  which  He  has  in  hand.  Are 
we  pliable  tools  in  His  hands?  Are  we  entering  into  the  great  vision 
He  has  for  us  all?  Are  we  allowing  Him  to  make  out  of  us  the  great 
men  He  wants  to  make?  "No  man  ever  becomes  great  except  by 
identification  with  some  great  cause,"  and  there  is  no  other  cause  in 
the  universe  so  great  as  the  cause  of  transforming  this  world  through 
the  power  of  the  Gospel  of  the  son  of  God.  And  if  you  are  ambitious 
to  be  great  in  this  world  and  in  all  worlds,  there  is  no  other  way  in 
which  you  can  insure  that  greatness  so  absolutely  as  by  complete 
identification  with  Christ  in  His  great  world  program  of  redemption. 
I  rejoice  profoundly  in  the  line  of  thought  which  has  been  presented 
to  this  convention,  and  in  the  distinctive  responsibility  which  this 
great  denomination  is  coming  to  assume  with  reference  to  the  w^orld's 
need.  We  have  had  an  experience  in  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  last  four  years  that  already  has  demonstrated  the  wisdom  of 
clearly  determining  the  denomination's  missionary  responsibility. 
Ours  is  only  a  very  small  body  in  comparison  with  yours,  with  only 
125,000  members.  Four  years  ago,  our  missionaries  in  India,  less 
than  fifty  of  them,  laid  aside  all  precedent  and  prejudice,  and  decided 
that  they  would  frankly  try  to  see  the  field  which  they  were  tr}'ing 
to  occupy,  through  the  eyes  of  Christ,  and  then  would  dare  to  tell 
the  church  at  home  what  ought  to  be  done  in  that  field.  As  the 
result  of  a  week  or  more  of  prayer  and  consideration,  going  into  all 
the  details  of  just  where  the  workers  ought  to  be  placed  in  order  to 
carry  the  message  of  Christ  to  the  five  millions  of  people  in  that  dis- 
trict which  they  were  exclusively  occupying,  they  decided  that  instead 
of  asking  for  three  or  five  or  ten  new  workers  as  they  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  doing  in  previous  years,  the  field  could  not  be  occupied 
unless  a  very  much  larger  number  were  asked  for  than  ever  before. 
They  finally  put  their  signatures  to  a  petition  to  the  home  church 
saj^ing  that  at  the  present  rate  of  progress  it  will  be  two  or  three  cen- 


THE   GREATEST    OPPORTUNITY   IN  THE  WORLD  17I 

tunes  before  the  Gospel  is  generally  diffused  throughout  this  district 
of  five  million  people. 

They  further  said  in  substance:  "If  you  sincerely  mean  to  carry 
out  the  command  of  Jesus  Christ  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  the 
people  here,  we  believe  that  the  very  smallest  basis  upon  which  you 
can  hope  to  realize  that  ideal,  is  to  send  out  one  worker  to  every 
25,000  people  in  this  district."  That  meant  not  five  or  ten  workers, 
but  180  in  addition  to  those  who  were  there  at  that  time,  (less  than 
fifty)  but  God  gave  them  such  faith  that  they  dared  to  ask  for  the 
whole  180  for  the  occupation  and  evangelization  of  that  field ! 

We  had  another  mission  in  Egypt,  with  about  the  same  number 
of  workers,  and  they  seemed  to  think  for  awhile  that  the  India  mis- 
sion had  stolen  a  march  on  them  by  getting  in  such  a  plea;  that 
Egypt  could  not  have  anything  heard  of  its  needs  for  a  long  time  to 
come.  But  three  months  later  they  met  in  their  annual  business 
meeting  and  went  through  the  same  kind  of  a  process  of  trying  to 
decide  what  ought  to  be  done  for  the  eight  millions  of  people  in  Egypt 
for  which  our  church  is  responsible.  The  result  was  equally  remark- 
able. They  all  put  their  signatures  to  an  appeal,  the  first  clause  of 
which  ran  something  like  this: 

"We  believe  that  our  brethren  in  India,  in  asking  for  one  mis- 
sionary to  every  25,000  people  to  be  reached,  have  asked  for  the  very 
least  number  that  can  accomplish  the  work.  We  believe  also  that 
we  should  have  a  similar  number  in  Egypt,  and  to  this  end  we  appeal 
for  two  hundred  and  eighty  more  in  this  field."  This  made  a  total 
appeal  for  460  workers,  to  a  little  church  that  had  not  been  able  as 
yet  in  fifty  years  of  service,  to  send  out  quite  a  hundred  missionaries. 
But  when  the  appeal  was  considered  in  the  General  Assembly  two 
or  three  months  later,  without  a  dissenting  voice,  and  under  as  pro- 
found and  spiritual  conviction  as  I  have  ever  seen  in  a  General 
Assembly,  they  voted  with  absolute  unanimity  to  recognize  these 
appeals  as  the  voice  of  God  to  the  church,  and  to  attempt  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment  to  send  out  all  these  workers! 

What  has  happened  as  a  result  of  this  extraordinary  action?  One 
very  striking  result  is  that  about  125  young  men  and  women  in  our 
colleges  during  the  last  three  years  have  offered  to  go  out  into  these 
vacant  fields.  That  is  to  say,  we  have  as  many  volunteers  to-day  as 
we  have  foreign  missionaries  after  fifty  years  of  missionary  work. 

Another  result  is  that  the  church  is  giving  a  great  deal  more  than 
it  was  four  years  ago.  It  has  forged  to  the  very  front  among  all  the 
churches  in  this  country  in  its  average  per  member  to  missions,  with 
an  average  this  year  of  about  two  dollars  per  member  for  foreign 
work  alone.  The  average  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  large  is 
very  much  smaller  than  this,  and  the  average  for  the  whole  Protestant 
church  in  America  is  only  fifty  cents  per  year.  But  we  are  not 
satisfied  with  two  dollars  per  year;  that  is  only  supporting  the  workers 
we  have  now  in  the  field,  and  we  propose  to  send  several  hundred 


172  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

missionaries  out  within  the  next  ten  years,  and  that  will  require  an 
average  of  eight  dollars  per  member  per  year  to  foreign  missions. 
That  is  not  really  a  very  serious  thing.  Mr.  Speer  asked  the  Presby- 
terian Church  this  morning  for  five  dollars  per  member;  that  is  only 
ten  cents  per  week ;  eight  dollars  per  member  is  only  fifteen  cents  per 
week.  Will  you  stop  to  think  what  we  could  do  in  this  nation  alone 
toward  evangelizing  the  world?  We  are  giving  now  a  little  less  than 
an  average  of  a  penny  a  week  to  promote  the  Gospel  in  the 
non-Christian  world.  If  we  got  to  the  point  of  giving  a 
postage  stamp  a  week,  it  would  be  $20,000,000  a  year; 
a  street  car  fare  a  week  would  be  $50,000,000  a  year;  a 
dish  of  ice  cream  a  week  would  be  $100,000,000  a  year.  If  we 
would  give  the  equivalent  of  one  hour's  work  a  week  of  the 
labor  of  the  Italian  or  Hungarian  who  work  along  the  railways 
at  fifteen  cents  an  hour;  if  we  would  give  the  financial  equivalent  of 
one  hour's  work  a  week  of  the  most  unskilled  workman  in  the  nation 
to  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world,  it  would  be  $150,000,000  a 
year.  Nobody  in  his  wildest  enthusiasm  is  asking  for  one-half  that 
amount  from  this  nation  for  that  purpose,  and  yet  we  talk  about  the 
impracticability  of  raising  the  money  to  evangelize  the  world !  It 
is  only  ten  cents  a  week  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  asked  for 
this  morning.  Shall  we  fail  in  giving  this  much  to  Christ  who  poured 
out  His  heart's  blood  that  this  world  might  be  saved?  I  have  faith 
enough  in  you  and  in  the  constituency  which  you  represent,  to  believe 
that  you  and  they  will  respond  to  the  call  of  God  as  it  comes  squarely 
before  you,  and  will  seriously  undertake  in  the  name  of  God  to  do 
the  thing  that  He  has  commanded. 

There  is  enormous  value  in  a  comprehensive  plan.  May  I  refer 
again  to  the  experience  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church,  for  I 
believe  it  will  be  repeated  on  a  far  larger  scale  in  all  our  churches  as 
we  undertake  really  to  do  what  Christ  has  laid  before  us.  There 
were  those  who  thought  that  the  colleges  would  not  have  any  more 
endowment  given  to  them,  since  all  this  money  was  going  into  Foreign 
Missions.  But  the  uprising  of  young  men  and  women  in  our  colleges 
has  attracted  the  special  attention  of  the  whole  denomination  to  these 
needs  and  has  drawn  out  prayers  and  money  as  never  before  for  these 
institutions,  in  order  that  young  men  and  women  may  be  trained 
and  sent  into  this  great  conquest. 

Some  of  the  Home  Missionary  workers  were  very  much  afraid 
that  when  so  much  attention  was  being  given  to  the  Foreign  work, 
they  would  not  get  their  share,  but  the  Home  receipts  have  actually 
increased  more  rapidly  in  proportion  than  the  Foreign  receipts, 
although  they  have  been  going  up  very  rapidly. 

Our  Men's  Movement,  in  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  brought  together  over  a  thousand  delegates  from  all  over 
the  country  last  February  in  Pittsburg,  was  the  direct  out- 
come   of    this    missionary    inspiration.     The   men   of  the  church 


THE  GREATEST  OPPORTUNITY  IN  THE  WORLD  1 73 

are  giving  themselves  to  personal  work  and  evangelism  in 
the  spreading  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  in  America  and  attempting 
to  finance  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  abroad  as  they  did  not 
think  of  doing  four  years  ago.  And  so  blessing  will  come  to  us  in 
all  of  our  work  as  we  seriously  enter  into  partnership  and  sympathy 
with  Christ  in  His  world  program.  We  can  save  our  own  nation 
only  as  we  obey  our  Lord  in  an  honest  effort  to  save  the  world. 

I  want  to  say  a  word  about  the  primary  place  of  America  in  the 
work  of  evangelization.  Last  year  $9,000,000  were  given  by  America 
to  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions.  Almost  the  same  amount  came 
from  Great  Britain;  three-sevenths  of  the  whole  from  America;  three- 
sevenths  from  Great  Britain,  one-seventh  from  the  rest  of  the  world. 
But  Great  Britain  does  not  have  the  reserve  resources  that  we  have 
in  America.  There  is  no  possibility  that  England  can  increase  her  gift 
to  missions  on  the  scale  that  we  can  increase  ours.  If  we  are  going 
to  spend  an  average  of  two  dollars  to  give  to  every  non-Christian  a 
chance  to  know  the  Savior,  it  is  going  to  cost  the  whole  Christian 
Church  about  $80,000,000  a  year  for  the  next  twenty-five  years. 
We  are  giving  now  about  a  quarter  of  that  amount.  Of  that  eighty 
million  a  year  I  believe  that  fifty  millon  at  least  ought  to  come  from 
the  United  States.  That  would  be  five-eighths  of  the  whole  amount 
needed.  The  proportion  of  missionaries  from  the  United  States  on 
that  scale  would  be  25,000.  America  now  has  about  5,768  foreign 
missionaries,  counting  men  and  women,  in  all  the  world.  Can  we 
not  support  as  a  nation,  25,000  missionaries  and  their  work,  at  a 
cost  of  fifty  million  dollars  a  year  for  the  next  twenty-five  years? 
At  the  present  moment  we  only  have  one  missionary, — I  am  speaking 
now  of  all  American  churches, — only  one  foreign  missionary  to  every 
3,400  of  our  church  membership.  If  we  send  out  others  that  I  have 
mentioned,  to  occupy  five-eighths  of  the  world,  making  a  total  force 
from  this  country  of  25,000  missionaries,  that  would  only  be  one  out 
of  every  eight  hundred  of  the  Protestant  church  members  of  this 
country!  Can  we  not  afford  to  give  to  Christ  for  such  a  campaign 
an  average  of  one  out  of  every  eight  hundred  of  our  Protestant  church 
members?  And  can  we  not  give,  and  will  we  not  give,  and  agitate 
until  the  whole  church  gives  an  average  of  at  least  a  street  car  fare  a 
week  to  the  evangelization  of  the  world?  That  would  be  $50,000,000 
a  year,  the  amount  that  is  needed  for  this  country.  And  if  this 
convention  decides,  in  its  mature  business  judgment,  that  this  thing 
is  possible  so  far  as  you  are  concerned  and  the  constituency  which 
you  represent,  I  believe  a  wave  of  interest  and  attention  and  money 
and  consideration  and  prayer  will  be  started  which  will  sweep 
through  the  churches  of  America, 

Do  you  realize  that  this  is  the  first  Men's  Foreign  Missionary 
Convention  that  has  ever  assembled  in  this  country?  It  is  a  new 
thing  under  the  sun.  And  your  attitude  and  action  will  be  stutjied 
all  round  the  world.     Do  not  imagine  that  you  are  acting  in  an 


174  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

isolated  way  or  on  a  platform  where  you  will  not  be  seen,  for  the 
echoes  of  this  conference  will  be  heard  around  the  world  inside  the 
next  sixty  days.  Take  care  then  what  action  you  take,  for  upon  it 
the  welfare  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  your  brother-men  may  depend. 

And  now  I  want  to  say  that  I  do  not  believe  that  most  of  us  have 
been  very  comprehensive  in  our  plans  for  our  own  benevolence.  It 
is  said  that  $250,000,000  are  spent  on  church  work  in  this  country 
every  year,  and  we  gave  less  than  $9,000,000  last  year  to  spread  the 
gospel  through  the  rest  of  the  world. 

There  was  published  in  the  papers  the  other  day  a  list  of  fifteen 
gifts,  each  of  one  million  dollars  or  more,  that  had  been  given  in 
this  country  during  the  last  twelve  months  to  religious  and  philan- 
thropic objects,  but  there  was  not  any  amount  approaching  that 
given  to  Foreign  Missionary  work.  A  gift  of  even  $100,000  is  a  very 
rare  thing  to  Foreign  Missions.  The  other  day  Mr.  Rockefeller 
gave  in  a  single  gift,  $32,000,000  to  higher  education  in  this  country. 
This  is  more  than  three  and  one-half  times  as  much  as  the  whole 
church  of  Christ  in  America  gives  to  the  evangelization  of  the  world 
in  twelve  months!  Gentlemen,  I  submit  that  in  \dew  of  the  one- 
thousand  millions  of  unevangelized  people  in  this  world,  at  least  six 
hundred  millions  of  whom  American  Christians  must  evangelize  if 
they  are  to  be  evangelized  at  all ;  in  view  of  the  unspeakable  spiritual 
degredation  and  destitution  of  these  millions,  and  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  America  must  take  the  primary  place  in  the  evangelization  of 
the  world,  I  submit  to  you  that  this  kind  of  giving  is  not  a  reasonable 
ratio  in  religious  investment,  and  that  we  need  a  re\dsion  in  the  ratio 
of  our  giving. 

My  own  deep  conviction  is  that  not  a  single  man  of  us  ought  to 
give  less  than  twenty-five  per  cent  of  all  he  gives  to  religious  and 
benevolent  purposes,  to  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the 
world  that  has  not  yet  had  a  chance  to  know  of  the  Savior.  I  give 
twice  as  large  a  proportion  as  that  of  my  own  offerings,  and  I  have 
thought  this  thing  through  pretty  carefully  and  lived  for  ten  years 
in  the  midst  of  the  heathen  world,  and  understand  the  Foreign 
Missionary  situation  as  well  as  the  Home  Missionary  situation  better 
than  any  of  you  can  do  who  have  not  had  that  kind  of  an  experience. 
I  am  not  dictating  to  any  of  you  how  large  your  gifts  shall  be,  but  I 
know  this,  that  unless  you  decide  in  advance  on  some  reasonable 
ratio  which  appeals  to  your  own  judgment,  and  say  to  yourself.  "Of 
all  that  I  give  to  religious  and  benevolent  purposes,  I  will  give  this 
large  a  proportion  at  least  to  the  work  of  sending  the  Gospel  to  the 
non- Christian  world,"  that  the  appeals  which  come  to  you  from  a 
thousand  different  directions  in  your  own  country  and  community 
will  so  drain  your  resources  that  you  will  have  practically  nothing  to 
give  away  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  time  has  come  when  we  should 
put.  some  reasonable  ratio  at  work  in  our  giving  and  let  it  be  decided 
by  the  facts  and  the  logic  of  the  facts.     Let  us  also  remember  that  in 


THE  GREATEST  OPPORTUNITY  IN  THE  WORLD  1 75 

addition  to  the  money  we  are  investing  in  this  country,  we  are  in- 
vesting our  lives  here  which  is  a  bigger  thing  than  our  money,  and 
we  are  asking  only  that  one  out  of  every  eight  hundred  go;  799  of 
us  invest  our  lives  here,  as  well  as  our  possessions.  It  suggests  to 
me  that  if  such  an  overwhelming  proportion  of  us  are  going  to  work 
here,  we  ought  on  this  account  the  more  adequately  to  finance  the 
work  abroad.  I  wish  you  would  consider  this  in  deciding  what 
proportion  of  your  means  should  go  to  support  and  extend  the  work 
in  other  lands. 

And  now  I  want  to  say  just  one  word  about  the  spirit  wliich  ought 
to  characterize  laymen  and  ministers  and  missionaries  alike.  I  was 
at  Dayton  a  few  weeks  ago  and  heard  there  of  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  that  city,  w^ho  had  recently  made  a  trip  around  the 
world,  traveling  on  the  finest  steamers  and  spending  money  lavishly 
on  every  hand,  as  much  in  a  few  months  as  a  missionary  would 
probably  spend  in  as  many  years, —  and  on  his  return  to  Dayton 
sent  out  an  invitation  to  thousands  of  people  to  come  to  a  great 
reception  and  hear  him  make  a  speech,  in  which  he  criticised  the 
missionaries,  if  you  please,  for  living  too  extravagantly,  and  advised 
his  friends  not  to  give  any  more  money  to  that  object,  and  sent 
marked  copies  of  the  paper  containing  his  speech  all  over  the  coun- 
try !  After  referring  to  this  in  the  platform  of  a  great  convention  in 
that  city,  I  went  on  to  say  that  no  man  but  a  coward  or  a  hypocrite 
would  demand  any  sacrifice  of  any  fellow  Christian  in  the  service 
of  Christ,  which  he  is  not  willing  to  make  himself.  And  when  you 
and  I  come  to  that  standard,  and  are  willing,  if  we  cannot  lay 
down  our  lives  with  Livingstone,  to  put  the  missionary  spirit,^-the 
spirit  of  sacrifice, — behind  our  gifts, — it  will  not  be  twelve  months 
or  twelve  weeks  until  the  missionary  treasuries  are  over-flowing. 

I  stood  on  the  pier  in  Boston  Harbor  a  few  weeks  ago  when  two 
of  our  missionaries  started  off  into  the  darkness  of  the  heathenism 
of  India,  leaving  their  wives  and  children  in  this  country.  I  declare 
to  you  that  I  believe  there  are  at  least  a  score  of  men  in  our  own  little 
United  Presbyterian  church,  any  one  of  whom  could  lay  down  a 
million  dollars  on  the  missionary  treasury  with  far  less  of  real  sacrifice 
than  either  of  these  men  made  in  leaving  their  homes  and  their  loved 
ones  and  going  back  into  the  darkness  of  the  heathenism  of  India 
for  the  sake  of  Christ  and  His  work.  When  that  kind  of  sacrificial 
obedience  takes  hold  of  the  laymen  of  our  churches,  the  thing  will 
be  done  as  far  as  the  money  is  concerned.  And  after  all,  men,  the 
cheapest  thing  you  can  give  is  money.  It  is  infinitely  cheaper  than 
the  life  which  the  man  must  give  who  goes  as  your  representative. 
Oh,  that  the  spirit  of  obedience  and  of  sacrifice  might  take  hold  of 
us  and  lead  us  to  be  willing,  at  any  cost,  to  do  the  thing  that 
Christ  commanded  us  to  do,  and  which  He  at  such  infinite  cost  made 
possible. 

We  are  about  to  celebrate  Washington's  Birthday,  and  our  minds 


176  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

turn  back  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  I  was  in  the  city  of 
Washington  a  few  days  ago,  and  was  profoundly  interested  as  I 
went  up  into  the  Congressional  Library  and  read  the  original  docu- 
ments of  that  Declaration,  and  thought  we  needed  another  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  to-day.  It  closed  up  with  this  sentence,  "For 
the  support  of  this  Declaration," — and  it  was  a  very  serious  declara- 
tion they  were  making,  as  you  all  very  well  know, — "For  the  support 
of  this  Declaration,  with  firm  reliance  on  the  protection  of  Divine 
Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes 
and  our  sacred  honor."  I  believe  the  time  has  come  in  the  history 
of  the  world  for  the  declaration  by  a  body  like  this  and  other  bodies 
like  this  that  may  convene,  for  a  declaration  of  spiritual  independ- 
ence for  the  world,  in  which  we  shall  agree  together,  in  mutual 
dependence  upon  the  protection  and  cooperation  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, to  pledge  to  each  other  for  the  realization  of  this  ideal,  "our 
lives,  our  fortunes  and  our  sacred  honor." 

A  little  while  ago  Dr.  Bliss  of  Beirut  College  gave  a  series  of 
lectures  on  these  subjects:  "I  Am,"  "I  Think,"  "I  Can,"  "I  Ought," 
"I  Will."  Applied  to  this  missionary  problem.,  they  might  read 
something  like  this:  /  am  in  this  world  as  the  express  messenger 
and  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  accomplishment  of  His 
world  plan.  /  think  with  the  mind  of  Christ  and  desire  to  enter 
fully  into  His  thought  and  plans.  /  can  do  anything  that  Christ 
asks  me  to  do,  for  .He  never  commands  without  enabling.  /  ought 
to  do  all  that  I  can  do,  when  the  life  of  multitudes  of  my  fellowmen 
may  depend  on  my  attitude.  /  will, — by  the  grace  of  Almighty 
God, — /  ivill  do  what  in  my  inmost  soul  I  know  I  ought  to  do,  for 
"I  cannot,  I  dare  not,  go  up  to  judgment  until  I  have  done  the  utmost 
God  enables  me  to  do,  to  diffuse  His  glor^'  throughout  the  whole 
wide  world." 

My  fellow-Christians,  I  expect  to  be  satisfied  fully  with  that 
kind  of  a  life-purpose  five  hundred  years  from  to-night. 


XXIX 
MEN  OF  MIGHT  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

BY  REV.  ROBERT  F.  COYLE,  D.D.  LL.D. 

Thus  far  in  our  program  we  have  thought  of  our  opportunities, 
our  obligations,  and  our  motives  as  related  to  the  supreme  work  of 
foreign  missions.  And  now  it  falls  to  me  to  speak  of  our  power  and  to 
show  how  this  power  has  been  turned  to  account  in  certain  illustrious 
missionary  heroes.  The  ability  to  do  is  after  all  the  great  thing. 
It  avails  nothing  to  build  the  mill  and  fill  it  with  the  most  up-to-date 
machinery,  if  there  be  no  steam,  or  dynamo,  or  mountain  stream 
to  make  it  go.  In  vain  all  our  plans  and  all  our  visions,  if  we  cannot 
translate  them  into  tangible  realities.  Nothing  is  an  opportunity 
for  us  which  we  are  powerless  to  seize,  or  an  obligation  which  we  are 
powerless  to  discharge,  and  no  motive  is  worth  thinking  about  which 
we  are  powerless  to  convert  into  fact.  In  nature,  in  mechanics, 
and  in  life  the  fundamental  need  is  power. 

The  same  thing  is  true  of  religion,  true  of  all  its  work,  but  pre- 
emmiently  true  in  the  matchless  enterprise  of  evangelizing  the  world. 
Think  of  the  forces  in  opposition,  of  the  innumerable  and  tremen- 
dous difficulties  to  be  overcome.  There  are  a  thousand  hoary  super- 
stitions in  the  way,  a  thousand  prejudices  with  their  roots  gripping 
the  hard  deposits  of  centuries  of  tradition,  a  thousand  black  passions 
to  subdue,  all  the  forces  of  idolatry  and  iniquity  to  grapple  with  and 
conquer.  There  are  the  vested  interests  of  millenniums  of  heathen- 
ism, there  are  earthly  rulers  to  be  conciliated,  there  are  the  rulers  of 
the  darkness  of  this  world  to  be  beaten  back  by  the  armies  of  light, 
there  are  antagonisms  abroad  and  there  are  antagonisms  at  home. 
If  in  front  on  pagan  soil,  there  are  foes  "daring,  desperate  and  dia- 
bolical," if  there  are  strong-holds  on  every  hill  top  frowning  their 
defiance,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  foes  in  the  rear.  There  are  the 
\dces  of  civilization  following  upon  the  heels  of  the  missionary  to 
neutralize  his  work.  Barrels  of  rum  from  so  called  Christian  nations 
are  shipped  on  the  same  vessel  that  carries  Bibles  to  the  heathen. 
The  same  England  that  sends  heralds  of  the  Cross  to  China  forces 
the  curse  of  opium  upon  her  people  at  the  cannon's  mouth. 

In  the  front,  far  away  on  the  firing  line,  our  representatives  try 
to  Christianize  the  Philippinos,  only  to  have  their  work  made  fear- 
fully hard  and  discouraging  by  the  example  of  soldiers  and  army 
officers  from  our  own  country.  In  the  front,  far  away  in  the  heart 
of  Africa,  the  missionaries  of  Jesus  are  humiliated  and  horrified  and 
shamefully  handicapped  by  the  awful  atrocities  carried  on  in  the 

177 


178  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

name  of  King  Leopold,  a  professedly  Christian  king.  In  front,  far 
away  in  the  South  Seas,  good  old  Dr.  Paton  pleads  with  the  govern- 
ments of  Britain  and  America  to  prohibit  the  sale  of  liquor  to  the 
people  of  the  New  Hebrides  where  he  has  labored  so  long,  and  he 
pleads  in  vain.  But  these  are  not  the  only  unfriendly,  not  the  only 
hostile  influences  in  the  front  that  come  from  the  rear.  Rationalism 
and  scepticism,  twin  sisters  of  unbelief,  protected  and  flourishing  in 
the  tolerant  atmosphere  of  Christianity,  send  their  books  and  litera- 
ture into  pagan  lands  and  thus  put  weapons  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that  the  greatest  obstacles  to 
the  progress  of  missions  to-day  come  from  the  countries  of  Christen- 
dom and  from  those  who  are  enjoying  the  blessings  of  Chistian 
institutions.  Add  to  all  this  the  difficulties  of  language,  difficulties 
of  climate,  difficulties  of  caste,  difficulties  of  custom,  difficulties  of 
bigotry,  difficulties  of  unspeakable  depravity,  take  the  sum  of  them, 
and  then  measure  if  you  can  the  power  needed  to  bring  victory.  Put 
every  item  in  this  catalogue  of  oppositions  and  antagonisms  to  the 
Cross,  and  every  other  item  which  I  have  overlooked,  on  one  side; 
and  what  force  shall  we  set  on  the  other  as  more  than  a  match  for 
them  all,  able  to  subdue  them  all,  and  convert  them  all  into  allies  of 
righteousness  and  servants  of  the  Most  High  God?  Surely  it  must 
be  stupendous,  too  great  for  our  human  minds  to  grasp  in  its  fulness, 
but  even  so  we  know  where  to  find  it. 

Consider  the  force  that  has  been  furnished.  That  force  is  a  per- 
son and  his  name  is  Jesus  Christ.  To  his  disciples,  just  before  he 
stepped  into  the  chariot  of  cloud,  he  said,  "^47/  power  is  given  unto  me 
in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye  therefore.  .  .  .  And  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Here,  then  is  the  force 
upon  which  we  have  to  draw,  a  force  that  is  universal  and  omni- 
potent. I  have  all  power;  you  have  me;  Go.  In  every  direction,  in 
every  enterprise  and  in  every  relation  of  life  we  are  just  as  strong  as 
the  thing,  or  power  or  person  to  which  we  attach  ourselves.  If  we 
commit  ourselves  to  a  prairie  schooner  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules  we 
are  that  strong.  If  to  a  splendid  vestibuled  railway  train  propelled 
by  a  powerful  locomotive,  we  are  that  strong.  It  is  so  everywhere. 
Our  ability  to  breast  the  billows  of  the  Atlantic  and  make  headway 
in  spite  of  the  storm  depends  upon  whether  we  launch  away  in  a  frail 
yacht  or  in  a  mighty  Cunarder.  When  I  step  upon  the  Deutchland 
all  the  power  of  that  colossal  ship  is  mine,  and  when  I  embark  in  a 
small  sail  boat  my  strength  to  get  over  the  waves  is  limited  by  the 
vessel  that  candies  me.  If  we  commit  ourselves  to  strong  leadership 
or  weak  leadership,  we  are  strong  or  weak  as  the  case  may  be.  What- 
ever we  trust  in,  whether  it  be  horses  or  chariots,  or  money,  or  ma- 
chinery, or  in  our  own  resources,  we  can  have  no  more  strength  than 
is  in  the  source  upon  which  we  draw.  "All  power  is  given  unto  me 
in  heaven  and  on  earth."  Linked  to  that,  committed  to  that,  who 
can  set  limits  to  our  possibilities  of  Christian  achievement? 


MEN   OF  MIGHT  IN   FOREIGN  MISSIONS  1 79 

Let  us  re-assure  ourselves  by  looking  at  this  power  for  a  moment 
and  considering  what  it  has  already  enabled  men  to  do.  It  didn't 
seem  very  great  at  first.  Only  a  lowly  Nazarene,  despised  and 
rejected,  cast  out  by  his  countrymen,  and  dying  by  crucifixion  on  the 
place  of  skulls.  What  keen  observer,  what  reader  of  events,  could 
have  looked  deep  enough  to  perceive  that  from  this  Man  of  Sorrows 
was  to  issue  a  movement  that  would  push  its  way  across  all  the  cen- 
turies and  into  every  corner  of  the  world?  Put  that  crucified  Jesus 
on  one  side  of  the  equation,  and  on  the  other  put  all  Christian  churches, 
all  Christian  literature,  all  Christian  art,  all  Christian  colleges,  all 
Christian  heroism  and  martyrdoms,  here  a  dying  man  nailed  to  a 
tree,  and  here  countless  millions  singing  his  praises,  going  to  prison 
and  to  death  with  his  name  upon  their  lips — why  the  thing  seems 
impossible.  If  we  did  not  know  the  facts  it  would  be  regarded  as 
the  tale  of  a  madman.  Equations  can  be  made  only  of  things,  or 
powers,  or  persons  that  are  equal. 

But  there  is  the  history.  On  the  place  called  Calvary  the  Cruci- 
fied Jesus;  on  this  side  of  it  and  streaming  from  it  the  Cathedrals  of 
Europe,  St.  Peter's  and  St.  Paul's;  Notre  Dame  and  Westminster. 
Streaming  from  it  the  matchless  music  of  Handel  and  Haydn,  the 
theologies  and  philosophies  of  Paul  and  Augustine  and  Calvin,  the 
reformations  of  Savonarola  and  John  Huss  and  Martin  Luther,  the 
great  thoughts  of  Pascal  and  the  deathless  hymns  of  Watts  and  Wesley. 
Streaming  from  it  the  sublime  sacrifices  and  heroic  labors  of  St. 
Francis  Xa\ier  and  David  Livingstone.  And  not  only  so  but  flowing 
from  that  Crucified  One  are  all  the  inspirations  of  Michael  Angelo 
and  Da  Vinci  and  Van  Dyck,  all  the  jubilant  songs  of  the  Christian 
faith,  all  the  Christian  benevolences  that  have  winged  their  blessed 
way  from  one  corner  of  the  globe  to  the  other.  If  Jesus  had  not  been 
lifted  up  upon  that  Cross  it  is  safe  to  say  that  these  had  not  been. 

It  is  simply  amazing  when  we  come  to  think  of  it.  Really  it  is 
quite  overwhelming.  On  that  side  of  Calvary  a  young  man  who 
has  been  preaching  and  teaching  and  healing  for  three  years, — a 
young  man  without  rank,  or  money,  or  social  standing.  He  has 
written  no  books,  he  has  elaborated  no  system  of  philosophy.  Only 
a  few  friends  gather  about  him  and  they  belong  to  the  common 
people.  He  is  so  poor  that  he  has  not  where  to  lay  his  head.  By 
the  ruling  classes  he  is  despised  and  rejected  and  finally  hurried  away 
to  a  malefactor's  death.  On  this  side  of  Calvary  are  twenty  centuries 
of  Christian  history  with  all  its  conquests  and  triumphs,  with  all  its 
martyrdoms  and  crusades  and  resolutions,  with  all  its  tremendous 
content  of  Christian  civilization.  It  is  astounding  and  yet  we  know 
that  there  is  immensely  more  in  that  personality  than  in  all  that  has 
issued  from  it.  This  then  may  give  us  some  hint  of  the  power  that 
is  furnished  and  upon  which  we  have  to  draw. 

But  the  point  may  well  be  emphasized  still  farther.  In  these 
days  of  great  visible  enterprises  we  are  accustomed  to  think  of  force 


l8o  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

very  largely  in  terms  of  matter.  Every  city  has  its  power-plant,  its 
dynamo,  where  are  generated  the  mighty  energies  that  light  our 
streets  and  homes  and  business  houses  and  propel  our  cars.  But 
was  there  ever  a  dynamo  like  this  which  although  invisible,  and  in 
its  historical  manifestation  2,000  years  distant  in  time,  is  at  this 
hour  flashing  its  currents  around  the  world?  We  feel  its  thrill  in 
this  convention  to-night  and  our  hearts  throb  in  glad  response. 
Down  in  the  slums  of  our  cities  men  and  women  feel  its  thrill  and 
lovingly  minister  to  the  fallen  and  the  outcast.  Yonder  in  lonely 
Labrador,  in  ice  locked  Greenland  and  India's  coral  strand,  under 
Africa's  burning  skies,  our  missionaries  feel  its  thrill  and  labor  on 
with  joy.  I  am  not  exaggerating  or  indulging  in  mere  froth  talk 
when  I  say  that  all  other  forces  at  work  in  history  since  the  Day  of 
Pentecost  sink  into  insignificance  before  the  unceasing,  the  all  vivify- 
ing, the  irresistible  force  that  pours  from  the  heart  that  broke  on  the 
place  of  skulls. 

This  is  not  a  question  of  rhetoric  or  a  question  of  logic,  or  a  ques- 
tion of  metaphysics,  but  a  question  of  fact.  One  day  Carlyle  and 
Emerson  were  walking  out  through  the  hills  of  Scotland,  and  coming 
in  sight  of  a  little  church,  the  Scotch  sage  said  to  his  New  England 
friend,  "Christ  died  on  the  tree,  and  that  built  Dunscore  kirk  yonder; 
that  brought  you  and  me  together."  The  power  that  can  thus  reach 
through  the  ages  and  build  churches  wherever  the  sun  shines,  and 
bring  men  from  different  sections  of  the  globe  together,  men  of  dif- 
ferent tastes,  different  training,  different  speech  and  race  and  color, 
in  a  bond  of  brotherhood,  is  worth  thinking  about.  Justin  Martyr 
said  long  ago,  and  the  remark  is  packed  with  suggestion,  "No  one 
has  shovm  such  faith  in  Socrates  as  to  die  for  his  doctrine,  but  for 
Christ's  sake  not  only  philosophers,  but  also  mechanics  and  unlearned 
men  have  suffered  death."  History  has  no  lack  of  immortal  names 
which  we  revere.  We  think  of  William  of  Orange  and  Admiral 
Coligny  and  George  Washington  with  feelings  of  veneration.  But 
these  men  are  dead,  and  while  they  yet  speak  how  much  power  is  in 
their  words?  Is  it  sufhcient  to  inspire  armies,  and  make  conquests? 
Is  it  sufficient  to  command  the  loyal  obedience  of  heroes  and  heroines 
and  send  them  on  a  mission  of  love  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  if 
need  be  to  drink  the  cup  of  death  there?  Where  is  the  man  who  to- 
day would  die  for  William  of  Orange  or  lay  down  his  life  for  George 
Washington  or  go  to  the  stake  or  the  block  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
or  penetrate  the  jungles  and  brave  the  fevers  of  Africa  to  make  known 
the  name  of  Emerson?  But  this  precisely  is  what  men  and  women 
are  doing  for  Him  who  was  crucified  on  Calvary.  They  did  it  in 
Armenia  a  little  over  a  decade  ago  by  scores  and  hundreds.  They 
submitted  to  the  sword  and  to  torture  and  to  nameless  indignities 
rather  than  give  up  their  faith  in  the  Jesus  of  the  Cross.  They  did 
it  in  China  during  the  Boxer  outbreak,  when  30,000  Chinese  Chris- 
tians suffered  death,  many  of  them  in  most  horrible  forms,  for  the 


MEN  OF   MIGHT  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  l8l 

Christ  who  had  saved  them  from  their  sins  and  washed  them  in  his 
precious  blood.  They  did  it  in  Lien  Chou  in  1905  when  five  of  our 
own  Presbyterian  missionaries  went  the  martyr's  road  to  glory  in 
testimony  of  their  love  for  him  who  was  slain.  The  power  behind 
it  all,  the  sheer,  the  absolute,  consummate  power,  proceeding  steadily 
from  the  Cross  as  a  center, — that  is  the  amazing  thing.  It  moves, 
it  impels,  it  nerves,  it  steadies,  it  inspires,  as  nothing  else  has  ever 
done,  and  how  shall  we  explain  it  except  by  putting  into  it  and  back 
of  it  the  ceaseless  energy,  the  infinite  dynamic  of  the  heart  of  God. 
"God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son" — there 
you  have  it,  there  you  have  the  power  that  is  furnished,  the  power  of 
the  Eternal  pouring  himself  out  in  love.  In  the  history  of  Christen- 
dom and  in  the  triumphant  spread  of  the  gospel  we  see  what  his 
great  power  can  do.  In  the  sublime  outlook  of  prophecy  we  see 
what  it  will  do  in  the  on  coming  future.  We  see  that  his  empire 
will  be  universal,  that  all  kings  shall  bow  dov/n  to  him  and  shall  do 
him  homage,  and  from  every  island  and  continent,  from  every  zone 
and  clime,  we  hear  the  anthem  of  \'ictory  ascending  to  the  skies: 
"Alleluiah !     The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigneth." 

Now  it  is  most  natural,  indeed  it  is  inevitable  that  since  the  power 
furnished  is  the  power  of  the  heart  of  infinite  love  it  should  manifest 
itself  in  feeling,  in  the  fire,  and  fervor  and  force  of  great  emotions. 
It  is  a  word  far  too  much  discounted.  Far  too  many  are  afraid  of  it. 
They  suppress  it  and  restrain  it  and  hold  it  in  check  in  themselves 
and  discourage  it  in  others.  They  assume  that  truth  can  speak  for 
itself  and  make  its  own  way;  that  all  it  needs  to  make  it  effective 
and  invincible  is  that  it  should  be  mediated  through  the  intellect. 
But  this  is  a  profound  mistake.  There  is  no  dynamic  in  mere  cold 
statements  of  truth,  no  matter  how  perfect  they  may  be.  We  might 
ship  the  truth  in  great  cargoes  of  creeds  and  confessions  of  faith  and 
send  it  out  to  the  heathen  from  now  until  the  crack  of  doom  without 
making  the  slightest  impression.  No  victories  are  ever  gained  by 
books  on  military  tactics  or  by  hurrying  whole  libraries  on  the  science 
of  war  to  the  front.  Only  men  with  flaming  hearts  and  passionate 
patriotic  souls  behind  the  guns  can  put  the  enemy  to  flight. 

Knowledge  untouched  by  emotion  is  as  powerless  to  move  men 
as*  ice  in  the  boiler  is  to  make  the  engine  go.  Truth  that  is  not  felt 
can  no  more  stir  and  thrill  the  people  than  a  statue  of  marble  can 
start  crusades  and  inspire  resolutions.  The  stone  age  of  human  life 
can  never  be  the  age  of  achievement.  No  steamers  ever  cross  the 
sea  whose  furnace  fires  are  banked.  To  go  forth  without  weeping 
is  to  come  again  without  sheaves.  To  work  without  heart  is  to  fail. 
If  there  is  no  shout  of  a  king  in  our  souls  there  can  be  no  victory  and 
no  spoils.  Take  every  great  reform,  every  noble  emancipation, 
every  heroic  movement  for  mankind's  uplifting,  from  the  beginning 
until  now,  and  you  find  it  to  be  the  product  of  the  heart,  the  precipi- 
tation of  feeling,  the  crystaUization  of  some  tremendous  passion  of 


1 82  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

the  soul.  Not  from  high  thinking,  not  from  cloistered  scholars,  not 
from  isolated  and  unsympathizing  philosophers,  but  from  men  of 
warm  blood  and  intense  philanthropic  temper  come  society's  redemp- 
tions and  re-constructions, — from  Jesus  and  not  from  Socrates,  from 
Paul  and  not  from  Seneca,  from  Luther  and  not  from  Bacon,  from 
Wesley  and  not  from  Hume.  Jesus  could  think,  think  away  to  the 
bottom  of  eternity,  Paul  could  think  so  could  Luther,  so  could  Wesley. 
There  was  no  lack  of  gray  matter  in  their  heads,  but  the  dominating 
thing  in  them  was  feeling.  They  could  weep  over  human  woe. 
They  could  melt  with  pity.  They  could  bum  with  enthusiasm. 
And  evermore  it  is  men  of  this  type  that  lead  our  race  up  into  the 
sunshine  of  God. 

Turn  back  to  Pentecost,  study  that  marvelous  inrushing  of  the 
divine,  note  its  manifestation,  and  you  can  but  see  that  the  most  strik- 
ing thing  about  it  all  was  feeling.  Those  early  disciples  came  to  the 
point  where  God  was  not  merely  with  them ;  He  was  in  them.  They 
realized  His  presence.  He  had  passed  the  door  of  their  being  and 
entered  into  their  very  life.  They  were  domiciled  with  God  in  the 
home  of  the  spirit.  His  power  was  their  power.  They  felt  God 
and  kindled  under  the  flame  of  his  love.  Their  Holy  Ghost  experi- 
ence was  the  burning  consciousness  of  God  in  their  souls.  It  was  a 
vivid  sense  of  the  inwardness  of  the  divine  gift.  Their  feeling  was 
a  proof  of  the  actuality  of  their  faith,  and  along  with  the  feeling  went 
a  power  that  was  irresistible. 

It  is  always  so.  If  we  ask  what  has  given  Christianity,  from  the 
earliest  ages  until  now,  its  conquering  force  we  shall  find  the  answer 
here.  Its  apostles,  its  leaders,  its  reformers,  its  epoch  making  men 
are  men  of  feeling  in  whom  the  divine  realities  live.  I  do  not  mean 
that  they  are  emotional  men,  or  fiery  zealots,  or  weeping  prophets 
whose  energies  evaporate  in  tears,  but  men  in  whom  the  truth  of  God 
is  an  experience,  something  that  has  gripped  their  own  souls,  a  reality 
that  lives  in  them  and  begets  there  a  passionate  desire  and  a  death- 
less purpose  to  pass  that  truth  on  to  every  creature.  "When  have 
been  the  ages  of  power?"  asks  Dr.  William  Newton  Clarke.  "When, 
but  when  the  sense  of  God  and  Christ  came  in  and  thought  was 
warmed  to  vigor,  and  faith  became  a  passion?  Who  are  the  weaker 
men,  and  when  have  come  the  times  of  feebleness?  The  weaker  men 
for  the  aggressive  purposes  of  God  are  the  men  who  w^hatever  they 
may  think,  do  not  feel ;  and  the  feebler  periods  are  those  in  which  the 
pulses  have  run  low  and  the  great  realities  found  but  dull  response 
in  the  affections  and  emotions  of  the  Christian  people.  Power  goes 
with  feeling."  This  witness  is  true.  Feeling  is  no  proof  of  truth. 
It  may  accompany  error.  It  may  become  the  ally,  the  stimulant  of 
folly.  It  may  fan  the  fires  of  mischief  and  help  to  do  the  devil's 
work.  Feeling  may  flame  in  the  heart  and  manner  and  speech  of 
Caiaphas  as  well  as  of  Christ.  So  that  I  must  not  be  misunderstood. 
All  I  am  saying  is  that  if  the  truth  is  not  felt  it  is  not  and  cannot  be  a 


MEN  OF  MIGHT  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  183 

force.  If  our  knowledge  of  the  gospel  is  not  a  fire  in  our  own  lives, 
we  might  as  well  for  all  practical  purposes,  be  ignorant  of  it.  To  feel 
is  to  be  awake.  It  is  to  have  every  fibre  of  one's  being  tingle  and 
pulse  and  throb  with  energy.  It  is  the  inspiration  and  the  sustaining 
power  of  all  great  work  in  the  world.  Faith  without  feeling  is  dead. 
Piety  without  passion  is  a  painted  pretense.  Eliminate  feeling  from 
the  pulpit  and  the  pew  and  you  have  December  all  the  year  round,  no 
life,  no  warmth,  no  patches  of  summer  visible  anywhere  on  the  church 
landscape.  Eliminate  feeling  from  a  church  and  things  may  be 
"faultily  faultless,"  icily  regular,  but  they  will  be  splendidly  null. 
Eliminate  feeling,  and  evangelism  will  be  suppressed,  and  missions 
will  be  dropped  from  the  program,  and  benevolence  will  be  a  drag, 
and  altruism  in  general  a  bore.  Let  us  suspect  our  religion  if  we  do 
not  feel.  If  our  hearts  are  in  touch  with  God's  heart  we,  too,  will 
have  compassion,  the  starving  multitudes  wall  appeal  to  us  and  we 
shall  be  glad  to  be  breakers  and  distributors  of  the  Bread.  In  every 
bay  that  opens  into  the  ocean  there  is  the  pulse  and  the  tide  of  the 
infinite  sea,  and  we  may  rest  assured  that  if  God's  oceanic  heart 
plays  into  ours  we  shall  ifeel  as  God  feels,  think  as  God  thinks,  and 
love  as  God  loves. 

But  the  Christian's  power  as  I  have  already  more  than  suggested, 
goes  farther  than  feeling;  it  crystalizes  in  service.  The  fire  of  the 
heart  inspires  the  work  of  the  hands.  And  so  it  remains  to  show 
how  this  power  of  which  I  have  been  speaking  has  been  displayed 
in  certain  men  of  might.  I  can  only  touch  upon  two  or  three  of  the 
loftiest  peaks  in  the  great  range.  First  I  name  Paul  because  he  is 
first.  Adolph  Monod  calls  him  "The  greatest  among  the  apostles 
who  were  made  by  Jesus  Christ  the  greatest  of  men."  He  is  so  great, 
so  mighty,  so  full  of  force  that  Guizot  says  of  him,  "Civilization  came 
to  Europe  in  the  boat  that  carried  Paul  over  the  iEgean  Sea,"  and  he 
might  have  added  that  it  came  to  the  whole  western  hemisphere. 
You  and  I,  our  churches,  our  institutions  of  liberty,  and  our  Republic 
are  in  that  tremendous  stream  of  influence  which  Paul  sent  flowing 
across  the  ages.  We  read  the  life  of  this  man  with  amazement. 
His  career  was  simply  stupendous.  When  we  follow  the  story  of 
his  achievements  it  seems  to  us  almost  incredible.  Scourged,  stoned, 
mobbed,  persecuted,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils 
from  his  own  countr}Tnen,  in  perils  from  the  heathen,  in  perils  in  the 
city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  hunted  over  the  mountains  like  an 
outlaw,  made  to  fight  with  wild  beasts  in  the  arena,  in  weariness  and 
painfulness,  and  hunger  and  thirst,  in  cold  and  nakedness;  yet  he 
goes  on  his  way  with  singing,  rejoicing  in  tribulation,  resistless  as 
the  Colorado  river  on  its  way  to  the  sea. 

From  Jerusalem  to  Rome  and  some  say  farther,  on  to  Spain,  and 
possibly  to  Britain,  this  missionary  hero  travels  and  toils  and  triumphs. 
Wherever  the  Roman  eagles  go  toward  the  west,  his  power  is  felt  and 
in  the  end  proves  mightier  than  the  Caesars.     We  look  acros's  the 


184  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

sweep  of  twenty  centuries  and  we  see  him  planting  Christian  churches 
in  Ephesus,  in  Tarsus,  in  Athens,  in  Corinth,  in  Philippi,  in  Thessa- 
lonica  and  setting  against  Hellenic  philosophy  the  philosophy  of  the 
Cross.  We  see  him  going  up  and  down  Asia  Minor  a  flaming  herald 
of  the  Crucified  and  leaving  behind  him  scores  of  centres  of  light  to 
dispel  the  shadows  of  paganism.  There  is  a  kind  of  Omnipresence 
about  the  man.  His  activities  are  innumerable.  His  tireless  feet 
go  everywhere,  and  in  his  track  oases  blossom  in  the  desert  and 
springs  of  healing  water  flow.  Were  there  no  Paul,  if  I  may  speak  as 
a  man,  who  could  measure  what  the  world  would  miss.  Without 
Paul  no  unfolding  of  Christian  civilization  in  Europe  and  America,  no 
Christan  morals  and  no  Christian  literature  and  no  Christian  hopes 
and  inspirations.  Without  Paul,  the  old  temples  and  the  old  idols 
and  the  old  abominations  of  Roman  and  Teuton  and  Britain  would 
still  be  standing  or  perpetrating  in  cults  equally  degrading.  With- 
out this  man  of  might,  this  grand,  this  heroic  figure,  how  difl"erently 
freighted  would  be  the  historic  streams  of  the  last  1,900  years.  But 
if  I  seem  to  glorify  him  it  is  only  that  greater  glory  may  be  given  to 
his  Lord  and  ours.  His  marvelous  work  was  made  possible  only 
because  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ  was  transferred  to  his  own  life  by 
faith.  He  stands  and  will  forever  stand,  as  a  peerless  illustration 
of  what  a  mere  man,  and  man  sickly  in  body  and  contemptible  in 
speech,  can  do  when  he  wills  to  do  only  what  God  wills.  He  has 
been  described  as  one  of  those  clouds  that  float  between  heaven  and 
earth,  freighted  with  the  fire  of  the  skies,  and.  hurling  into  the  bosom 
of  the  darkness  of  this  world  those  lightenings  which,  with  sudden 
brightness,  illuminate  the  spiritual  horizon  of  a  man,  or  rather  of 
humanity  itself."  Read  the  secret  of  his  conquering  might  in  his 
own  words:  "I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  who  strengtheneth 
me."  The  little  human  wheel  was  completely  belted  on  to  the  great 
dynamo  of  the  skies.  He  backed  up  against  the  Almighty  Son  of 
God,  and  had  in  him  the  divine  energy  of  the  power  to  which  he 
committed  himself. 

Measured  by  years,  it  is  a  far  cry  from  Paul  to  William  Carey,  but 
they  are  contemporaries  in  spirit,  and  I  should  not  wonder  if  to-night 
they  are  companions  on  the  hills  of  life.  I  am  sure  two  men  so  con- 
secrated, so  lost  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  tent  maker  of  Corinth  and  the 
cobbler  of  Northamptonshire  must  be  congenial  to  each  other.  See 
what  this  second  man  of  might  accomplished.  It  is  too,  a  wonderful 
story,  far  more  thrilling  for  those  who  follow  it  sympathetically  than 
anything  fiction  has  ever  imagined.  There  he  sits  in  his  shoemaker's 
shop,  a  young  man  still  in  his  teens,  looking  over  the  map  of  the 
heathen  world,  brooding  over  the  salvation  of  the  pagan  milhons, 
and  praying  that  the  light  of  God  may  somehow  reach  them. 
The  more  he  broods  and  prays  the  more  the  missionary  fire  bums 
witbiri  him.  It  fuses  his  whole  life  into  one  tremendous  purpose. 
He  begins  to  talk  and  write  and  preach  about  fulfilling  the  great 


MEN  OF  MIGHT  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  185 

commission,  and  his  brethren  call  him  a  fool.  He  attends  a  meeting 
of  Baptist  ministers,  speaks  of  the  subject  that  has  possession  of  his 
heart,  and  the  moderator  imperiously  and  with  crushing  accent  cries 
out,  "Sit  down  young  man!  When  God  pleases  to  convert  the 
heathen  he  will  do  it  without  your  help  or  mine." 

But  no  human  authority  can  silence  the  man  who  has  tied  himself 
on  to  God.  He  has  flung  himself  into  the  current  of  God's  purpose 
for  the  heathen  and  nothing  can  stop  him.  That  current  sweeps  him 
on  to  his  appointed  goal.  In  the  spring  of  1792  the  Baptist  Ministers' 
Association  meets  at  Nottingham.  Carey  is  the  preacher.  His 
text,  Isa.  54:  2-3,  and  the  divisions  of  his  discourse  are  these:  "Ex- 
pect great  things  from  God.  Attempt  great  things  for  God."  He 
speaks  with  passionate  earnestness,  and  such  is  the  effect  of  his  ser- 
mon that  not  long  after,  the  first  English  missionary  society  is  organ- 
ized at  Kettering.  Immediately  the  young  man  volunteers,  and  says 
to  his  friends,  "I  will  go  down  into  the  pit,  you  must  hold  the  ropes." 
So  begins  the  stupendous  enterprise  of  modern  missions.  The 
following  June  he  starts  for  India  and  has  to  steal  away  from  England 
in  a  Danish  ship  because  of  the  hostility  of  the  East  India  company. 
After  five  months  he  reaches  Calcutta  and  enters  upon  his  mighty 
work.  He  toils  on  in  poverty  and  hardship,  but  always  in  hopeful- 
ness. At  the  end  of  seven  years  the  first  convert  is  won  to  Jesus 
Christ.  His  task  is  tremendous,  one  man  bearing  the  torch  to  200,- 
000,000  in  pagan  darkness — but  he  toils  on  always  attempting  great 
things,  for  he  knows  something  of  the  infinite  power  and  love  behind 
him.  He  toils  on  translating  the  Scriptures,  printing  it  in  the  native 
dialects,  planting  churches,  planting  schools,  planting  medical  mis- 
sions, getting  laws  enacted  by  the  government  of  England  for  the 
abolition  of  certain  cruel  and  awful  customs,  such  as  the  burning  of 
widows  on  the  funeral  piles  of  their  husbands  and  the  throwing  of 
little  children  into  the  Ganges  to  appease  the  gods.  His  labors  are 
enormous,  his  difficulties  colossal,  his  burdens  enough  to  overwhelm; 
but  he  never  falters.  His  colleague  goes  mad,  his  wife  becomes  in- 
sane, his  mission  press  is  burned  down,  hostile  armies  invade  the 
land,  the  dogs  of  war  are  let  loose,  but  he  holds  on,  always  expecting 
and  always  achieving. 

This  one  man  by  his  zeal,  by  his  devotion  and  courage  and  con- 
secration gave  the  impulse  that  has  broadened  and  strengthened 
until  at  this  hour  there  are  scores  of  missionary  societies  busy  wherever 
the  sun  shines,  spending  last  year  in  the  prosecution  of  their  work 
not  far  from  $20,000,000.  Go  wherever  you  will  through  India  and 
wherever  the  light  of  the  gospel  shines  to-day  from  the  Himalayas 
to  the  sea  and  wherever  the  blessings  of  the  Cross  are  known  from 
the  Indus  to  the  Ganges,  you  feel  the  touch  and  the  influence  of  this 
man's  life.  For  forty  years  he  labored,  and  his  monument  is  glorious. 
It  is  in  the  Christian  churches  and  in  the  Christian  institution?!  and 
in  the  vast  multitudes  of  the  blood  washed  in  the  land  for  which  he 


1 86  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

lived  and  toiled  and  died.  On  his  death  bed  when  they  were  talking 
about  Carey  and  his  achievements,  he  said,  "Talk  not  of  Dr.  Carey 
but  talk  of  Dr.  Carey's  Savior."  That  was  the  secret  of  his  victories 
and  of  his  truly  marvelous  work.  The  might  of  the  Man  of  Calvary 
to  whom  he  committed  himself  so  completely,  became  his  might. 
He  gripped  the  purpose  of  the  world's  Savior  for  humanity  with  a 
tenacity  which  was  never  relaxed  and  that  purpose  transmitted  to 
him  the  power  of  the  Son  of  God. 

I  trouble  you  with  just  one  other,  no  less  a  mighty  man  of  valor 
than  Paul  and  Carey.  His  name  is  David  Livingstone.  That  was 
a  great  day  in  the  history  of  missions  when  his  sister  wrote:  "On 
the  morning  of  the  17th  of  November  we  got  up  at  five  o'clock.  My 
mother  made  coffee.  David  read  the  121st  and  135th  Psalms  and 
prayed.  My  father  and  he  walked  to  Glasgow  to  catch  the  Liver- 
pool steamer."  There  is  the  characteristic  Scotch  absence  of  senti- 
ment, but  the  pathos  of  that  parting  is  manifest  enough.  If 
feeling  did  not  bubble  to  the  surface  it  was  because  it  was 
too  deep.  It  was  the  last  walk  father  and  son  ever  had  together 
till  they  met  by  the  river  of  God.  On  the  deck  of  the  Liverpool 
steamer  they  looked  into  each  other's  face,  grasped  each  other's  hand 
and  separated,  the  old  man  trudging  slowly  back  to  Blantyre,  the 
youth  with  his  face  toward  Africa  and  to  a  career  that  can  never  go 
into  eclipse  while  the  world  stands.  For  courage,  for  endurance, 
for  indomitable  persistence,  for  supreme  self-sacrifice,  that  career  is 
more  thrilling  than  anything  ever  conceived  by  the  most  daring 
spirits  of  fiction.  It  is  the  will  of  providence  that  he  shall  traverse 
Africa,  that  he  shall  explore  its  mysteries,  that  he  shall  expose  slavery 
and  prepare  the  way  for  the  healing  of  this  open  sore  of  the  world. 
It  is  indescribable  the  things  he  has  to  suffer,  but  he  writes  compla- 
cently, "Paradise  will  make  amends  for  all  our  privations  and  sorrows 
here."  In  a  communication  to  his  brother  he  says,  "I  shall  open 
up  a  path  through  this  continent  or  perish."  Suiting  the  action  to 
the  word  he  starts  from  Kolobeng  and  travels  northward.  It  is  an 
awful  journey.  Sometimes  through  marshes  where  the  water  is 
from  three  to  four  feet  deep.  Sometimes  through  thorns  and  briars 
that  tear  the  flesh.  For  months  together  he  does  not  know  what  it 
is  to  have  either  dry  feet  or  dry  garments.  Every  day  he  is  fighting 
fever.  In  two  years  he  has  twenty  seven  attacks.  Once  he  is  knocked 
from  his  rude  raft  into  the  river  by  a  hippopotamus.  Once  he  is 
smitten  to  the  earth  by  the  paw  of  a  lion.  Sometimes  he  is  bitten 
by  serpents.  Sometimes  he  is  destitute  of  food.  Sometimes  he  is 
almost  eaten  alive  by  flies.  Sometimes  he  comes  near  having  his 
brains  beaten  out  by  war  clubs.  So  the  patient,  plodding,  marvel 
of  a  man  holds  on,  until  at  last  a  poor  ragged  skeleton,  tied  upon  an 
ox  by  his  faithful  men,  he  gets  a  sight  of  the  Atlantic  ocean  at 
Loan^a. 

But  this  is  only  his  first  journey.     After  a  short  period  of  rest 


MEN  OF  MIGHT  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  1 87 

and  recuperation  he  starts  again,  straight  across  Africa  a  distance 
of  2,000  miles.  It  would  take  too  long  to  rehearse  the  unparalleled 
story.  I  have  read  it  until  the  tears  have  blinded  me.  Think  of  it 
men.  Think  of  a  great  strong,  highly  educated  man,  turning  his 
back  upon  the  comforts  and  advantages  of  civilization,  pushing 
through  swamp  and  jungle  and  forest,  braving  perils  of  wild  beasts 
and  of  wilder  men,  gladly  accepting  the  crushing  and  unspeakable 
solitude  of  interior  Africa  in  order  that  he  may  suffer  and  die  for 
the  poor  degraded  black  man.  Racked  by  disease,  tortured  by 
fever,  pierced  by  pain,  crippled  with  ulcers  on  his  feet  until  every 
step  is  an  agony,  he  nevertheless  holds  on.  At  last  Stanley  comes. 
Deliverance  is  at  hand.  Surely  he  has  earned  the  right  to  go  home. 
But  no,  Africa  is  on  his  heart,  poor,  bleeding,  neglected  Africa,  and 
in  Africa  he  stays,  dying  in  a  little  grass  hut,  on  his  knees,  his  last 
word  a  prayer  for  Africa  and  that  prayer  stands  chiseled  upon  the 
stone  that  covers  his  grave  in  Westminster  Abbey  to-night.  As 
long  as  the  waves  of  the  ocean  beat  out  their  solemn  music  on  the 
shores  of  that  land,  they  will  never  cease  to  chant  the  name  of  Liv- 
ingstone and  say,  "He  died  for  Africa,"  and  both  that  life  and  death 
were  inspired  by  him  who  died  on  Calvary. 

See  what  this  man  accomplished.  He  traveled  29,000  miles  in 
the  dark  Continent.  He  let  the  light  of  Christendom  in  upon  its 
darkness  and  its  horrors.  He  stimulated  missionary  enterprise  as 
few  others,  if  any  have  ever  done.  It  is  said  of  him  that  his  visit  to 
Cambridge  University  lighted  a  candle  that  will  never  go  out.  Hardly 
had  he  been  laid  to  rest  when  missionaries  began  to  pour  into  Africa, 
and  to-night  those  lake  shores  along  which  he  journeyed  and  those 
rivers  which  he  discovered  are  dotted  with  Christian  schools  and 
mission  stations. 

To  these  three  men  of  might  it  would  be  easy  to  add  scores  of 
others  but  I  have  already  taxed  your  patience  too  far.  Think  of 
the  beneficent,  the  almighty  power  to  which  these  men  linked  them- 
selves and  of  what  that  power  enabled  them  to  do.  The  programs 
of  statesmen,  the  schemes  of  financiers,  the  discoveries  of  science, 
the  achievements  of  literature  are  hardly  worth  speaking  of  in  com- 
parison. When  the  returns  are  all  in  and  the  results  of  human 
endeavor  are  weighed  in  the  balances  of  God,  it  will  be  found  that 
these  men  of  the  Cross,  these  knights  of  Calvary,  have  been  a  thousand 
fold  more  potent  as  builders  of  civilization  and  as  uplifters  of  hu- 
manity than  all  the  princes  of  learning  and  all  the  kings  of  commerce 
and  all  the  wise  men  of  the  world  put  together.  And  their  power, 
yesterday,  to-day  and  always,  is  the  power  of  Jesus  Christ.  Had 
there  been  no,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,"  there  had  been  no  Paul, 
no  Carey,  no  Li\dngstone,  no  missionar}^  heroes,  and  without  them 
how  poor  and  desolate  would  be  our  earth  to-night. 

Let  me  close  with  this  word.  We  too  may  be  men  of  might  in 
this  greatest  campaign  the  angels  of  heaven  ever  looked  down  upon. 


l88  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

I  do  not  say  that  we  may  measure  up  to  these,  for  power  is  always 
limited  by  the  instruments  through  which  it  works.  Even  God 
cannot  force  a  four  inch  stream  through  a  one  inch  pipe.  Even 
God  cannot  get  all  the  grand  music  of  the  Oratorio  of  the  Messiah 
out  of  a  Jew's  harp.  All  the  dynamic  energy  of  a  vast  power  house 
cannot  be  transmitted  through  the  thread  of  a  wire.  Since  God 
chooses  to  work  through  human  agents  he  is  limited  in  the  exercise 
of  his  power  by  the  calibre  and  quality  of  the  man.  But  if  we  are 
not  men  of  great  native  gifts  and  endowments,  if  we  are  only  two 
talent  men,  perhaps,  by  putting  ourselves  into  the  grooves  of  the 
Almighty,  by  attaching  ourselves  in  whole  hearted  surrender  and 
consecration  to  the  Son  of  God,  we  may  become  mighty  to  move 
and  to  sway  and  to  stir  and  to  achieve.  Only  let  us  seek  the  anoint- 
ing from  on  high,  only  let  us  turn  all  the  switches  and  let  all  the 
power  on,  only  let  us  lay  all  the  manhood  we  have  upon  the  altar, 
and  we  shall  be  clothed  mth  a  might  and  invested  with  a  divine 
energy  that  will  astonish  ourselves  and  the  world  and  make  the 
angels  sing. 


Methods 

''Give  ye  them  to  eat^ 
''Make  them  sit  down  by  fifties  in  a  company ^ 


Chairman:  Rev.  F.  W.  Hawley 
Devotional:  Rev.  S.  S.  Estey,  Ph.D. 


1 90 


XXX 

LITERATURE 

BY  SECRETARY  A.  W.  HALSEY,  D.D. 

We  all  admit  the  charm  of  the  world's  literature. 

It  is  literature  that  has  made  the  land  of  Greece  and  Palestine 
immortal.  One  cannot  travel  through  these  lands  without  feeling 
a  thrill  of  joy  not  unlike  the  meeting  of  an  old  friend. 

We  have  been  familiar  with  Esdraelon,  with  Sharon,  with  Her- 
mon,  with  Jordan's  Stream,  with  the  Lily  of  the  Valley  and  the 
Cedar  of  Labanon,  from  our  early  youth. 

This  morning  I  would  impress  upon  you  that  there  is  an  equally 
great  charm  in  mission  literature.  The  Christian  public  is  only 
beginning  to  appreciate  the  quantity  and  quality  of  mission  literature. 
We  should  study  mission  literature. 

First.  Because  it  keeps  us  in  touch  with  world  movements.  One 
cannot  read  such  a  volume  as  Prof.  Hulburt's  "The  Passing  of 
Korea,"  without  recognizing  not  merely  the  crisis  through  which 
the  so-called  "Hermit  Nation"  is  passing,  but  also  that  the  cause 
of  missions  is  linked  with  a  great  world  movement.  Such  a  volume 
as  Mr.  Weale's,  "The  Reshaping  of  the  Far  East,"  opens  to  us  great 
world  problems.  The  missionary  is  one  of  the  factors  to  be  con- 
sidered in  the  solution  of  these  problems. 

Second.  Mission  literature  keeps  one  in  touch  with  the  stately 
movements  of  Gods  providence.  Dr.  Brown's  "New  Era  in  the 
Philippines,"  shows  conclusively  how  the  Providence  of  God  opened 
the  way  for  Christian  missions  in  these  far  away  islands.  Such  a 
book  as  "Mackay  of  Uganda,"  or  Ashe's  "Chronicles  of  Uganda," 
evidence  the  marvelous  providence  of  God  in  opening  up  the  way 
for  the  missionar}^  Mr.  Geil's  book,  "A  Yankee  in  Pygmy  Land," 
gives  a  most  fascinating  account  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  the  Uganda  Protectorate.  It  is  very  evident  that  Mr.  Geil  had 
no  idea  of  the  wonderful  progress  of  the  gospel  in  that  section  of 
Central  Africa,  until  all  unexpectedly  he  sees  the  evidences  of  the 
working  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

The  providence  of  God  is  manifest  in  all  mission  history  and 
the  Christian  must  keep  in  touch  with  mission  literature  if  he  would 
recognize  how  God  is  leading  His  people  in  our  day  and  generation, 
— as  He  led  Israel  of  old. 

Third.  Mission  literature  shows  the  depth  of  sin  in  the  non- 
Christian  world.  A  volume  published  some  years  ago  entitled, 
"Things  as  They  Are,"  while  a  dark  picture,  is  a  true  picture  of 

191 


192  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

India  without  the  gospel.  Such  revelations  as  come  to  us  through 
mission  literature,  in  the  lives  of  men  like  James  Chalmers  or  John  G. 
Paton,  only  make  very  clear  how  low  down  our  common  humanity 
can  sink  without  the  uplifting  power  of  the  gospel. 

Fourth.  The  study  of  mission  literature  is  helpful  in  that  it 
quickens  the  spiritual  life.  Who  could  read  in  the  story  of  M. 
Coillard,  the  account  of  how  he  knelt  in  the  shade  of  a  bush  and 
asked  divine  direction  whether  he  should  go  on  to  Barotsi,  and  not 
feel  all  the  spiritual  impulses  of  his  nature  quickened?  Out  of 
that  journey  came  the  splendid  work  of  the  French  Evangelical 
Society  in  Central  Africa.  Dr.  Chamberlain's  book,  "In  the  Tiger 
Jungle,"  is  a  story  of  answered  prayer  which  is  most  inspiring.  In 
the  volume  entitled,  "East  of  the  Barrier,"  is  a  chapter  number 
ten,  that  describes  the  great  awakening  in  Manchuria.  One' has 
but  to  read  this  chapter  to  realize  that  the  power  of  the  gospel  was 
never  more  manifest  than  it  is  to-day.  Mission  literature  is  indeed 
a  great  quickener  of  the  spiritual  life. 

Fifth.  And  finally,  the  study  of  mission  literature  fits  us  for 
yeoman  service.  The  last  volume  I  have  read  is  the  "Life  of  Griffith 
John,"  that  sturdy  Welshman,  who  after  fifty  years  service  in  China 
is  quietly  recuperating  in  our  own  land,  hoping  to  go  back  and  end 
his  days  in  China.  His  life  is  itself  an  inspiration,  yet  he  is  only 
one  of  a  long  line  of  noble  men  and  women  whose  lives  enshrined 
in  mission  literature  will  be  found  most  helpful  in  fitting  us  for 
intelligent  and  consecrated  senice  for  the  Master. 

I  trust  that  every  member  of  this  conference  will  promise  to  read 
at  least  one  book  between  now  and  the  meeting  of  the  next  Assembly. 
It  is  hard  to  pick  out  a  single  volume.  "Blaikie's  Life  of  Living- 
stone," is  most  stimulating.  Smith's  "Life  of  William  Carey,"  will  be 
found  most  suggestive.  For  one  who  wants  to  get  a  broad  view  of 
missions  and  world  problems,  I  would  suggest  Robert  Speer's, 
"Missions  and  Modern  History."  In  any  event  get  close  to  the 
missionary  cause  through  a  missionary  book,  preferably  a  biography. 

The  missionary  life  touches  our  lives  and  enables  us  to  teach 
other  lives. 

I  could  ask  no  better  outcome  of  this  conference  than  that  this 
great  body  of  men  should  taste  a  little  of  the  fine  flavor  and  know 
somewhat  of  the  delicate  charm  of  mission  literature. 


XXXI 

THE  PULPIT— HOW  TO  INTEREST  MEN  IN  FOREIGN 

MISSIONS 

BY  PROFESSOR  EDGAR  P.  HILL,  D.D. 

My  topic  is,  "How  to  interest  men  in  missions."  Its  importance 
must  be  apparent  to  every  one.  It  seems  to  sweep  almost  the 
whole  horizon,  for  when  once  the  men  of  the  church  have  be- 
come enthusiastically  interested  in  the  enterprise  of  world  wide 
evangelization,  the  age  long  task  will  be  well  along  towards  its  com- 
plete accomplishment.  You  are  expecting  something  to  be  said  of 
methods ;  but  I  have  little  to  say  of  methods.  You  may  be  waiting 
for  suggestions  as  to  books  and  brotherhoods  and  banquets;  but  I 
have  less  to  say  of  them.  A  method  is  simply  an  instrument ;  and  an 
instrument  has  little  value  without  a  person  to  use  it.  The  finest 
violin  Stradivarius  ever  made,  in  the  hands  of  a  child  is  only  a  toy; 
but  a  toy  violin  can  be  made  to  produce  sweet  music  when  an  Ole 
Bull  takes  it  in  hand. 

I  am  telling  the  students  of  McCormick  Seminary  that  a  sermon 
is  only  an  instrument  with  which  to  accomplish  a  certain  object  and 
that  without  a  man  of  God  to  wield  that  instrument  it  is  almost  a  use- 
less thing.  I  am  teaching  that  the  most  important  factor  in  preach- 
ing is  not  the  sermon  at  all,  but  the  preacher  behind  the  sermon.  I 
am  insisting  that  the  choicest  privilege  of  a  Seminary  training  is  not 
a  course  in  Homiletics  or  Theology;  but  an  experience  with  God. 
A  method  for  interesting  men  in  foreign  missions  is  an  instrument 
which  without  a  man  to  use  it  is  worthless.  I  want  to  say  something 
about  the  man  rather  than  the  instrument. 

I  am  sure  of  my  ground  when  I  say  the  key  to  this  whole  situation 
is  the  pastor.  The  best  method  that  can  be  suggested  will  be  of 
no  avail  without  the  right  kind  of  a  pastor  to  use  it.  But  let  such  a 
man  as  Charles  E.  Bradt  or  Dwight  E.  Potter  go  into  any  church 
with  the  poorest  excuse  of  a  method,  and  he  will  so  inspire  men  with 
missionary  zeal  that  the  money  will  flow  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Board  in  an  unceasing  flood.  If  the  pastor  is  an  unworldly  man  the 
people  will  quickly  catch  his  spirit.  If  the  pastor  regards  the  ap- 
proval of  Jesus  as  his  keenest  joy  the  people  also  will  begin  to  study 
their  Master's  pleasure.  If  the  pastor  looks  upon  the  world  as  his 
field  the  people  will  not  be  slow  to  recognize  their  obligations  to  the 
heathen  nations. 

How  was  missionary  zeal  enkindled  in  the  days  of  the  apostles? 
How  did  it  come  about  that  as  soon  as  a  new  convert  was  made,  a 

193 


194  MEN  AND  TELE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

foreign  missionary  was  secured?  Is  not  the  missionary  zeal  of  the 
first  century  attributable  largely  to  the  fact  that  the  religious  leaders 
were  unwordly  men  who  had  placed  themselves  altogether  at  the 
disposal  of  the  unseen  Christ  and  were  ready  always  to  respond 
without  argument  to  the  leading  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  Imagine  if 
you  can  some  such  scene  as  this.  The  apostles  are  in  conference  in 
Jerusalem  considering  their  prospective  fields  of  labor.  John  has 
assumed  the  chairmanship  of  the  meeting.  Turning  to  Matthew 
he  says,  ''Matthew,  where  are  you  going  with  this  wonderful  story 
of  redemption  committed  unto  us  by  our  Master?"  With  the  utmost 
frankness  Matthew  replies,  "You  all  know  I  came  from  Capernaum. 
You  also  know  that  not  far  from  my  old  home  is  a  fine  new  city 
built  by  Herod  Antipas.  It  is  on  the  edge  of  the  lake  and  on  summer 
evenings  the  people  take  their  recreation  by  sailing  up  to  Capernaum 
or  across  to  the  opposite  shore.  I  think  I  would  enjoy  that  kind  of 
a  life.  Besides,  the  famous  baths  of  Herod  are  just  south  of  the 
city  so  that  when  the  weather  gets  sultry  one  can  go  there  any  after- 
noon for  a  plunge.  I  have  decided  to  locate  in  Tiberias."  John 
turns  to  Philip  and  says,  "Philip,  where  are  you  going  with  this  won- 
derful story  of  redemption  committed  unto  us  by  our  Master?" 
Philip  replies,  "I  have  been  looking  over  the  field  at  Cassarea.  There 
is  already  a  congregation  there  and  the  people  are  rich.  They  offer 
me  one  hundred  gold  shekels  a  year  and  a  fine  manse  with  all  modern 
improvements  and  an  outlook  towards  the  sea.  It  is  the  best  propo- 
sition that  has  come  to  me.  Therefore  I  have  decided  to  go 
to  Caesarea."  Then  John  turns  to  Peter,  -  "Peter,  where  are  you 
going  with  this  wonderful  story  of  redemption  committed  unto  us 
by  our  Master?"  Peter  replies,  "I  am  a  married  man.  Some  of 
my  wife's  relatives  are  now  living  in  Bethlehem.  There  is  really 
no  need  of  more  preachers  in  Bethlehem.  Several  are  there  now. 
But  my  wife  wants  to  be  near  her  relatives,  and  Bethlehem  is  only 
a  short  distance  from  the  city.  Therefore  I  have  decided  to  begin 
work  in  Bethlehem !"  Was  this  the  way  they  did  it?  Was  it  in  this 
cool,  calculating,  commercial  spirit  they  decided  where  they  would 
go  and  what  they  would  do?  Think  you  the  gospel  would  have 
been  known  one  hundred  years  after  the  death  of  Christ  if  the  apostles 
had  gone  about  their  work  in  this  way?  How  different  it  was. 
"The  angel  of  the  Lord  spake  unto  Philip  saying,  Arise  and  go 
toward  the  south  unto  the  way  that  goeth  down  from  Jerusalem 
unto  Gaza,  which  is  desert.  And  he  arose  and  went."  The  Spirit 
said  unto  Peter,  "Arise,  therefore,  and  get  thee  down  and  go  with 
them  doubting  nothing,  for  I  have  sent  them."  And  Peter  went 
as  he  was  commanded.  Saul  said,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do?"  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  "Arise  and  go  into  the  city." 
And  he  arose  and  went.  This  is  the  way  preachers  acted  in  the  old 
days  when  missionary  zeal  was  white  hot.  What  reason  then  has  any 
preacher  of  to-day  who  is  self  indulgent  and  vain  and  always  alert 


THE  PULPIT — HOW  TO  INTEREST  MEN  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS       1 95 

for  a  call  to  a  larger  church  and  a  larger  salary, — what  reason  has 
such  a  preacher  to  expect  he  will  be  able  to  arouse  the  interest  of  the 
men  of  his  church  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  lands  beyond  the 
sea?  It  may  seem  ungracious  for  one  who  for  almost  two  decades 
has  been  associated  with  some  of  the  most  royal  and  loyal  servants 
of  God  to  be  found  between  the  oceans,  just  as  he  steps  out  of  the 
pastorate,  seemingly  to  hint  that  some  of  those  who  occupy  our 
pulpits  are  not  men  of  the  deepest  piety  and  the  most  unreserved 
devotion.  My  brothers,  I  do  not  hold  myself  aloof.  I  take  my 
place  again  as  one  of  you.  I  confess  that  the  spirit  of  commercialism 
has  been  allowed  to  creep  into  the  hearts  of  most  of  us.  We  covet 
the  conspicuous  places.  We  love  soft  clothing  and  king's  palaces. 
We  are  proud,  envious,  selfish.  The  men  of  our  churches  are  not 
enthusiastically  interested  in  missions  because  we  are  not  interested 
in  missions.  They  are  not  ready  to  sacrifice,  because  we  do  not 
sacrifice.  You  ask  me  how  to  interest  men  in  missions.  My  reply 
is,  let  the  climax  of  this  convention  be  an  upper  room  conference 
in  which  we  preachers  shall  get  upon  our  knees,  make  confession  of 
our  sins,  get  a  new  vision  of  Christ,  yield  ourselves  without  reserve 
to  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Then  we  shall  be  able  to  shake 
from  our  sleeves  schemes  for  interesting  men  in  missions.  But 
better  than  that,  our  enthusiasm  in  the  Lord's  great  enterprise  will 
flash  from  heart  to  heart  until  all  our  churches  shall  be  afire  with 
missionary  zeal. 

The  men  in  the  pews  will  not  become  interested  in  missions 
until  we  in  the  pulpit  become  interested  in  missions.  The  men  in 
the  pews  vidll  never  rise  to  the  heights  of  the  world  outlook,  until 
we  who  preach  lead  the  way  to  these  heights  of  far  stretching  vision. 
The  men  in  the  pews  will  never  fling  themselves  heartily  into  this 
contest  for  world  wide  Christian  supremacy,  until  we  who  preach 
show  by  our  passion  for  Christ  and  our  mission  for  souls,  that  we 
really  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  as  humanity's  only  hope. 

Suppose  we  assume  missionary  zeal  and  missionary  outlook  in 
the  pulpit.  Then  what?  Three  things  must  be  done  to  stimulate 
and  maintain  an  interest  in  world  wide  evangelization.  First,  we 
must  lead  the  men  of  our  churches  into  the  inner  sanctuary  of  truth 
and  experience.  It  is  useless  to  talk  of  evangelizing  China  to  men 
who  themselves  are  not  clear  as  to  the  essential  gospel.  It  is  folly 
to  attempt  to  secure  for  this  movement  the  cooperation  of  men  who 
themselves  are  not  convinced  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  world's  only 
Savior.  It  is  a  waste  of  time  to  appeal  to  men  in  behalf  of 
foreign  missions  if  they  themselves  have  never  enthroned  Jesus  as 
Savior  and  also  as  Lord  and  Master.  Read  the  biographies  of  the 
missionaries.  How  did  they  become  interested  in  world  wide 
evangelization?  Did  some  eloquent  Board  Secretary  come  along 
and  thrill  their  cold  hearts  with  some  story  of  heathen  degradation 
and  induce  them  by  a  recital  of  missionary  heroism  to  dedicate 


196  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

themselves  to  the  great  work?  I  wonder  if  a  single  recruit  for  the 
foreign  field  ever  was  obtained  in  such  a  way. 

How  was  it  with  William  Carey?  First  he  became  an  earnest 
Christian,  then  a  devout  teacher  and  pastor.  It  was  while  teaching 
his  scholars  and  engaging  devotedly  in  pastoral  work,  that  his  soul 
began  to  reach  out  towards  the  millions  sitting  in  the  darkness  of 
heathenism.  How  was  it  with  Judson?  First  he  became  an  earnest 
Christian,  writing  on  every  power  and  faculty  of  body,  soul  and 
spirit,  the  words,  "Hohness  to  the  Lord,"  bringing  himself  after  a 
hard  struggle  to  the  point  of  complete  surrender  to  God's  will.  Then 
when  Buchanan's  little  book,  "The  Star  in  the  East,"  fell  into  his 
hands  he  was  ready  to  respond  to  the  appeal.  How  did  David 
Livingstone  become  interested  in  foreign  missions?  At  the  beginning 
of  his  Christian  life,  he  had  no  thought  of  becoming  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary. First,  he  became  a  consecrated  Christian.  His  heart 
overflowed  with  gratitude  as  he  thought  of  Him  who  died  on  the 
cross  to  save  a  lost  world.  Therefore  when  Gutzlaff's  "Appeal" 
on  behalf  of  China  was  placed  in  his  hands,  he  could  not  rest  until 
he  had  offered  to  go  as  a  missionary.  And  how  was  it  that  Count 
Zinzendorf  was  led  to  start  a  movement  which  to-day  is  able  to 
report  that  for  every  fifty-eight  communicants,  it  has  a  missionary 
in  foreign  lands  and  that  for  every  member  in  the  home  land,  it  has 
three  in  foreign  lands?  Did  he  become  an  ardent  Christian  by  hear- 
ing of  foreign  missions  or  did  he  become  interested  in  foreign  mis- 
sions because  first  of  all  he  was  an  ardent  Christian?  You  know 
the  story  of  his  life,  how  he  stood  before  that  picture  of  the  suffering 
Savior,  in  the  art  gallery  of  Dusseldorf  and  read  above  it  the  words: 
"This  have  I  done  for  thee — What  dost  thou  for  me?"  Then  when 
his  heart  was  broken,  he  was  ready  for  the  unfolding  of  his  Master's 
program  and  the  announcement  of  his  King's  command.  My 
brother  minister,  do  you  want  to  interest  the  men  of  your  church  in 
foreign  missions?  Then  preach  Christ  to  them.  Tell  them  again 
and  with  greater  tenderness  than  before  how  much  Jesus  has  done 
for  them.  Make  it  plain  that  "there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  This  is  the 
first  step  in  interesting  the  men  of  a  church  in  foreign  missions. 

When  a  man  is  standing  on  the  step  called  "Consecration,"  he  is 
ready  for  the  next  step  which  we  may  name,  "Explanation."  When 
a  man  has  reached  the  point  where  Christ  means  everything  to  him 
the  time  has  come  for  the  explanation  of  Christ's  program.  If  the 
fire  of  patriotism  is  hot  in  the  breast,  men  need  only  to  hear  their 
country's  call  to  induce  them  to  spring  eagerly  to  the  battle.  When 
the  hearts  of  Christian  disciples  begin  to  burn  with  enthusiasm  for 
Christ,  nothing  remains  to  enlist  their  cooperation  except  to  explain 
the  significance-  and  the  need  of  the  great  enterprise.  We  frequently 
make,^  our  appeal  to  secondary  motives.  At  the  time  of  the  boxer 
uprising  we  were  able  to  gather  fine  material  for  missionary  addresses. 


THE  PULPIT — HOW  TO  INTEREST  MEN  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS      1 97 

We  enjoyed  putting  to  confusion  the  globe  trotters  who  had  been 
telling  us  that  our  missionaries  were  altogether  negligible  quantities  jn 
the  lands  beyond  the  sea,  that  they  were  not  creating  so  much  as  a 
ripple  on  the  placid  surface  of  heathenism.  When  the  boxer  uprising 
startled  the  world,  then  the  charge  was  made  that  the  missionaries 
were  the  cause  of  the  whole  commotion.  Instead  of  being  a  n  impotent 
thing,  Christianity  was  heralded  as  a  dangerous  dynamic  that  was 
threatening  to  blow  up  the  empire.  We  were  not  slow  to  use  this 
new  material  to  show  the  power  of  the  gospel  in  those  distant  lands. 
That  uprising  also  added  some  rich  chapters  to  the  annals  of  mis- 
sionary heroism.  By  the  light  of  the  fires  started  there  in  Paotingfu 
we  saw  the  noble  Simcox  walking  back  and  forth  holding  the  hand 
of  his  little  child,  watching  the  oncoming  flames.  As  we  told  and 
retold  the  story  of  the  martyrs,  our  congregations  were  melted. 
Our  pleasures  and  apathy  and  selfishness  seemed  almost  ghastly. 
That  boxer  uprising  mightily  aroused  our  sympathies  in  behalf  of 
the  foreign  mission  movement.  But  we  cannot  expect  a  war  to  break 
out  every  time  we  take  up  an  offering  for  foreign  missions.  We 
cannot  afford  such  a  sacrifice  of  precious  lives  in  order  to  excite 
interest.  Nor  is  such  sacrifice  necessary.  When  one  is  loyal  to 
Christ,  believes  profoundly  that  through  Him  alone  is  salvation  to 
be  found  and  that  the  chief  business  of  the  Lord's  disciples  is  to 
extend  his  Kingdom,  then  but  one  thing  remains  to  enlist  a  devoted 
interest  in  world  wide  evangelization  and  that  is  an  explanation  of 
the  needs  of  the  heathen  world.  I  remember  well  when  a  student 
volunteer  visited  the  Seminary  during  my  middle  year  to  lay  before 
us  the  claims  of  the  foreign  lield.  We  had  given  ourselves  in  loyal 
devotion  to  the  Master.  We  had  said  we  were  willing  to  place  our- 
selves at  the  disposal  of  the  Spirit  and  preach  the  gospel  wherever 
He  might  direct.  When  this  volunteer  appeared,  he  unrolled  a 
chart  covered  with  black  squares  with  one  tiny  white  square  in  the 
center.  "These  black  squares,"  said  he,  "represent  the  heathen 
world  and  this  little  white  square  represents  the  Christian  population 
among  those  millions  of  heathens." 

No  words  however  eloquent  could  have  gripped  our  hearts  as 
did  that  chart  with  its  black  squares.  One  student  after  another 
went  down  before  the  onslaught  of  that  silent  black  host.  For 
weeks  and  weeks  that  chart  haunted  me  like  a  spectre.  At  last  I 
was  able  to  quiet  my  conscience  with  a  reason  for  not  going,  which 
even  now  I  am  almost  afraid  to  bring  forth  in  the  presence  of  my 
Master.  It  was  the  need  of  the  heathen  world  that  won  Carey.  It 
was  the  black  squares  that  captured  Alexander  Duff  and  Robert 
Morrison  and  Robert  Moffatt.  Let  us  hang  up  the  chart  v;ith  the 
black  squares  and  let  us  explain  to  the  people  what  the  chart  means. 
It  will  be  an  argument  that  no  loyal  follower  of  Jesus  Christ  will 
dare  to  ignore. 

I  was  impressed  with  a  remark  made  by  Eugene  Stock  of'London 


198  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

at  the  Ecumenical  Council  in  New  York  in  1900.  He  said  the  Stu- 
dent Volunteer  Union  had  taught  the  Christians  of  England  that 
missions  do  not  mean  "subscribe  a  dollar  or  two  to  a  list,"  but  that 
they  mean  taking  up  a  cause  just  as  men  take  up  a  political  or  social 
cause  and  pushing  it  through.  Exactly  so.  Let  the  men  of  our 
churches  sit  down  before  the  black  chart  which  represents  their 
mighty  task.  Then  with  all  the  ingenuity  and  resourcefulness  and 
enthusiasm  which  mark  the  men  of  to-day  let  them  fling  themselves 
into  the  task  of  flooding  those  black  squares  with  the  glory  that 
streams  from  the  Cross. 

One  more  suggestion  in  the  line  of  interesting  men  in  missions. 
We  must  keep  the  men  of  our  churches  weU  informed  as  to  the  work. 
They  should  know  what  is  going  on  yonder  in  Siam  and  Persia  and 
China.  They  should  know  something  of  the  difficulties  and  successes 
of  the  work.  It  is  surprising  what  little  items,  if  they  are  new  and 
suggestive,  will  arouse  a  man's  interest.  A  few  years  ago  a  mis- 
sionary from  China  dropped  into  the  office  of  one  of  my  members. 
In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  my  friend  asked  if  the  truths  of 
the  gospel  were  really  making  their  way  into  the  minds  of  the  Chinese 
converts.  The  missionary  assured  him  that  they  were,  and  related 
briefly  some  of  his  experiences.  When  he  returned  to  his  field  he 
recalled  my  friend's  question  and  determined  to  give  him  additional 
information.  He  sent  him  a  short  essay  handed  in  by  one  of  the 
students  on  the  subject,  "What  I  know  about  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ."  My  friend  read  the  essay  and  then  handed  it  to  me  with 
the  remark  that  it  had  interested  him  very  much.  I  have  here  the 
Chinese  boy's  essay  just  as  it  was  first  written.  The  teacher  had 
suggested  the  topic  with  the  request  that  answers  be  given  to  these 
questions :  First.  When  and  how  I  first  heard  of  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ?  Second.  What  I  thought  of  it  then?  Third.  What  (if 
anything)  has  made  me  change  my  first  thoughts  about  it?  Fourth. 
What  are  the  good  points  in  it?  Fifth.  What  I  like  best  in  the  Bible? 
What  words?  What  story?  What  person?  Sixth.  What  I  think 
now  of  Jesus  Christ?  Seventh.  What  good  (or  harm)  would  come 
to  China  if  all  the  people  were  to  believe  in  this  religion?  Here  are 
the  lad's  answers:  "When  and  how  I  first  heard  of  it?"  "I  heard 
of  it  was  in  three  year  ago  when  I  was  in  Canton.  Mr.  Lau  told 
me."  "What  I  thought  of  it  then?"  "This  time  I  do  not  believe 
it."  "What  if  anything  has  made  me  change  my  mind?"  "But  I 
heard  Mr.  Mott  preacher  it  Hong  Kong.  So  my  thought  was 
changed."  "What  are  the  good  things  in  it?"  "The  good  things  in 
it  is,  help  the  young  man  to  be  a  whole  man."  "What  I  like  best  in 
the  Bible?"  "I  like  best  in  the  Bible  is  New  Testament."  "What 
words?"  "The  word  is,  Lord  is  my  shepherd."  "What  story?" 
"The  story  about  make  the  widow  son  alive  again."  "What  person?" 
"I  HkQ  Moses."  "What  I  think  now  of  Jesus  Christ?"  "Now  I 
think  Jesus  Christ  is  Son  of  God."     "What  good  (or  harm)  would 


THE  PULPIT — HOW  TO  INTEREST  MEN  IN  FOREIGN  MISSIONS      I99 

come  to  China  if  all  the  people  were  to  believe  in  this  religion?" 
"If  all  the  people  believe  this  religion  I  thought  God  will  make  China 
strong."  That  was  only  a  little  item  thrown  out  by  a  busy  mission- 
ary; but  it  was  fresh  and  suggestive.  And  it  got  before  a  man.  Of 
course  interest  was  stimulated. 

Two  or  three  years  ago  a  medical  missionary  came  along.  He 
gave  in  my  church  an  address  that  was  full  of  information  concerning 
his  own  work.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  referred  to  the  fact 
that  his  hospital  was  altogether  inadequate  and  that  a  new  building 
had  become  almost  a  necessity.  At  the  close  of  the  address  the  pastor 
quietly  remarked  that  the  building  of  that  new  hospital  afforded 
such  an  opportunity  for  extending  the  gospel  as  an  angel  might  covet. 
In  the  audience  was  a  consecrated  woman  who  already  had  the 
world  wide  outlook.  The  information  given  by  the  missionary 
greatly  interested  her.  Within  a  short  time  she  sent  word  to  the 
pastor  that  she  wanted  the  privilege  of  erecting  that  hospital.  Dr. 
Moffett  will  confirm  the  statement  that  the  Caroline  A.  Ladd  Hospi- 
tal, in  Pyeng  Yang,  is  one  of  the  most  effective  agencies  in  the  exten- 
sion of  God's  Kingdom  to  be  found  in  all  Korea.  We  must  inform 
the  people. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Portland,  Oregon,  is  the  largest 
giver  to  foreign  missions  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Last  year  not  one 
of  our  churches  in  Chicago  gave  as  much  to  the  cause.  What  is  the 
secret  of  such  liberality?  Information  is  largely  responsible.  The 
Woman's  North  Pacific  Board  of  Missions  has  its  headquarters  in 
the  church.  The  women  keep  the  church  membership  in  touch 
with  the  work  in  all  lands.  The  church  supports  four  foreign  mis- 
sionaries to  whom  reference  is  often  made  from  the  pulpit,  whose 
letters  are  read  in  the  mid-week  meetings  and  for  whom  prayers  are 
continually  being  offered.  Isabelle  Bird  Bishop  cared  nothing  for 
foreign  missions  until  she  saw  the  children  in  the  schools,  visited 
the  hospitals  from  which  blessed  influences  were  radiating  and  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  devoted  men  and  women  who  are  pushing 
on  the  work.  We  who  stand  in  the  pulpits  must  make  the  mission 
work  vivid.  We  must  be  word  painters.  We  must  make  our  people 
see  the  missionary  in  the  school,  the  hospital,  the  chapel  and  the 
native  home.  It  is  inconceivable  that  any  earnest  Christian  man 
can  look  in  upon  the  busy  missionaries  of  Pyeng  Yang,  or  into  the 
Mission  Press  rooms  in  Beirut  and  not  become  deeply  interested 
and  eagerly  desirous  to  cooperate.  This  then  is  my  answer  to  the 
question,  "How  can  we  interest  men  in  missions?"  The  men  of  our 
churches  must  be  led  into  closer  fellowship  with  Jesus  Christ.  The 
awful  need  of  the  heathen  world  must  be  laid  on  their  consciences. 
They  must  be  kept  informed  as  to  the  work.  Consecration,  Explana- 
tion, Information. 

Our  way  of  extending  the  kingdom  must  be  the  same  as  .when 
the  apostles  moved  forth  from  Jerusalem  to  win  the  world  for  their 


200  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Master.  The  apostles  went  forth  ever)'where  to  witness  for  Jesus. 
What  is  a  witness?  He  is  one  who  sees  and  testifies.  The  apostles 
had  seen  Jesus  and  they  were  to  go  forth  and  tell  what  they  had 
seen.  How  simple  the  plan!  How  absolutely  resistless!  One  of 
our  Oregon  boys  has  been  telling  in  one  of  the  magazines  how  he 
secured  a  picture  of  the  Sultan.  It  seems  the  Sultan  has  never 
allowed  his  picture  to  be  taken.  All  the  pictures  which  purport  to 
be  his  are  really  his  brother's.  This  Oregonian,  Homer  Davenport 
the  cartoonist,  when  in  Constantinople  recently,  determined  if  possible 
to  secure  a  genuine  picture  of  the  crafty  despot.  In  order  to  carry 
out  his  plan  he  obtained  permission  to  stand  at  one  side  of  the  street 
along  which  the  monarch  was  to  pass  on  his  way  to  the  mosque.  Of 
course  the  cartoonist  was  not  permitted  to  carry  a  camera.  If  he 
had  appeared  even  with  a  pencil  and  paper  he  would  have  been 
arrested.  His  plan  was  to  hold  the  image  in  his  mind.  He  tells  us 
how  excited  he  became  as  the  royal  procession  drew  near.  He 
realized  that  he  would  have  but  a  moment  to  look.  If  a  fly  should 
get  into  his  eye  or  something  should  make  him  sneeze,  his  opportu- 
nity would  be  gone.  It  was  then  or  never.  At  last  the  Sultan  was 
immediately  in  front  of  him.  He  looked  and  looked  with  all  the 
intensity  of  his  nature,  noting  every  feature,  eyes,  eyebrows,  nose, 
mouth,  ears,  the  stoop  of  the  shoulders.  In  another  moment  the 
royal  carriage  had  passed.  There  came  to  the  artist  a  tingling  sensa- 
tion reaching  to  his  finger  tips,  which  announced  that  he  had  been 
successful.  He  hastened  to  a  retired  spot,  took  out  pencil  and  pad, 
rapidly  transferred  the  image  in  the  mind  to  the  paper  and  then  sent 
the  picture  out  into  the  world.  In  some  such  way  we  are  to  make 
Jesus  known  to  men.  With  soul  and  body  and  mind  and  strength 
we  look  at  Him  who  lived,  died,  rose  again  and  is  seated  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  throne  on  high.  We  are  to  look  and  look  and  look  until 
the  image  has  been  formed  in  our  inmost  beings.  Then  we  are  to 
go  out  to  tell  what  we  have  seen,  that  all  the  world  may  know.  My 
brothers  in  the  ministry,  make  the  men  of  the  churches  to  have  a 
new  vision  of  the  ever  living  Christ.  Then  they  will  plan  and  pray 
and  give  that  the  millions  beyond  the  sea  also  may  behold  the  glorious 
sight. 


XXXII 
HOW   TO   FINANCE   THE   FIELD 

BY  CHARLES   EDWIN  BRADT 

To  manage  church  finances  successfully  means  to  manage  the 
monetary  schemes  of  the  church  so  as  to  secure  sufficient  funds  to 
finance  the  entire  field  of  the  church's  activity  and  responsibility. 
The  area  of  the  field  of  the  church's  responsibility  is  the  world,  and 
like  all  Gaul  is  divided  into  three  parts,  viz. :  the  Local  Field ;  the 
Home  Mission  Field;  and  the  Foreign  Mission  Field.  Any  scheme 
or  method  of  financing  which  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  successful  scheme 
must  consider  all  three  of  these  sections.  The  greatest  failure  of 
the  church  both  from  a  financial  and  spiritual  point  of  view  has  been 
that  it  has  neglected  to  face  and  undertake  adequately  to  finance 
the  entire  field.  The  largest  plans  of  the  church  of  a  missionary 
nature  have  been  wholly  inadequate  to  the  evangelization  of  this 
lost  world.  And  I  mean  by  this  lost  world,  the  world  of  humanity 
that  is  now  living, — this  generation  of  men  and  women,  of  boys  and 
girls  now  drawing  breath,  the  only  generation  to  whom  you  and  I 
will  ever  have  an  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel.  There  may 
never  be  another  generation,  but  if  there  is,  and  the  Christians  of 
that  generation  are  faithful  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature, 
it  will  do  this  generation  no  good.  This  is  the  only  generation  we 
have  to  serve  and  the  only  generation  that  needs  service  so  far  as  we 
know.  But  the  plans  of  the  church  of  a  missionary  nature  have 
been  wholly  inadequate  to  the  gospelization  of  this  lost  world.  They 
are  characterized  by  petty,  trivial,  child's  play  plans  which  call  for 
two  cents  a  week  for  Foreign  Missions,  for  niclde  and  dime  and 
quarter  collections,  all  making  no  more  impression  upon  the  heathen 
Lazarus  than  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table  made 
upon  the  stomach  of  the  Lazarus  of  old,  and  we  know  by  every  sugges- 
tion and  intimation  of  scripture  that  he  starved  to  death,  and  that 
is  what  the  heathen  are  doing  to-day  before  our  eyes, — starving  to 
death  physically,  mentally  and  spiritually,  because  they  know  not 
the  gospel.     How  can  the  gospel  be  given  to  them? 

I.  We  must  have  a  new  standard  of  giving.  I  mean  by  a  new 
standard  of  giving,  a  different  one  than  is  practiced  by  the  church 
and  Christians  generally  to-day.  The  principle  upon  which  we  are 
operating  largely  to-day,  is  to  send  the  multitudes  away  and  let  them 
look  out  for  themselves.  Now  this  might  be  all  very  well  but  for 
two  things:  * 

201 


202  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

First.     It  is  impossible  for  the   multitudes  to  supply  themselves. 

Second.    Jesus  has  said,  "Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

We  must  not  get  away  from  these  two  great  facts.  Whatever  was 
the  case  with  the  multitudes  spoken  of  in  the  scriptures,  we  know 
that  to-day  if  the  great  multitudes  of  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
one  thousand  million  of  them  in  heathen  lands,  who  are  hungry  and 
cold  and  destitute,  both  physically  and  spiritually,  are  to  be  supplied, 
Christ's  disciples  must  do  it.  The  world  cannot  supply  spiritual 
food,  and  it  will  not  supply  material  food  to  any  great  extent.  What 
shall  we  say  now  to  the  command  of  Jesus,  "Give  ye  them  to 
eat"? 

Practically  the  answer  of  the  church  and  Christians  generally  of 
all  denominations  is,  "Lord,  we  came  into  this  place, — this  world, — 
to  eat  and  drink  and  rest.  These  multitudes  are  interlopers  and 
have  no  just  claim  upon  us.  Send  the  multitudes  away  that  they 
may  look  out  for  themselves.  We  have  it  hard  enough  to  look  after 
our  own  wants.  If,  however,  they  will  be  satisfied  with  the  fragments 
after  we  are  full,  alright.  Lazarus  is  welcome  to  the  crumbs  which 
fall  from  the  rich  man's  table.  We  will  give  one  sixteenth  of  one  per 
cent  of  our  income  for  missions;  an  average  of  30  cents  a  year  per 
member."  Practically  that  has  been  and  is  the  church's  answer. 
Now  you  readily  see  that  the  crumbs  and  the  fragments  do  not  supply 
the  need.  Christ  says,  "Give  ye  them  to  eat."  If  Christ  is  right 
in  his  request,  our  present  standard  of  giving  is  wrong.  Hence  a  new 
standard,  i.e.,  one  different  from  the  one  we- are  now  practicing  is 
an  absolute  necessity.  What  shall  that  standard  be?  No  one  is 
competent  to  give  a  standard  but  God  Himself.  Lord,  How  shall  we 
give?  God's  gospel  of  giving  declares  that  we  should  give  until 
we  have  fed  the  hungry  multitude,  "Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

How  can  this  be  done? 

II.  Have  a  method  which  harmonizes  with  the  proper  standard 
of  giving. 

"Make  the  multitude  sit  down." 

The  crowd  always  looks  larger  when  everybody  is  standing  up 
than  when  all  are  sitting  down.  We  must  have  some  organiza- 
tion about  this  work  if  we  are  to  feed  the  multitude,  and  the  first 
step  is  to  get  the  multitude  located  and  seated  in  an  orderly  manner. 

I.  A  careful  estimate  gives  the  number  of  the  heathen  people 
for  whom  the  Presbyterian  Church  U.  S.  A.  is  responsible,  if  they 
are  to  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them  in  this  generation,  as  100,- 
000,000.  We  have  in  round  numbers  1,000,000  Presbyterian  church 
members.  This  means  that  each  Presbyterian  has  an  average 
responsibility  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  100  heathen  in  this  generation. 

The  best  missionary  experts  have  told  us  that  we  must  have  at 
least  one  American  missionary  and  five  trained  assistants,  or  an 
equivalent,  for  each  25,000  heathen  in  this  generation.  That  vdll 
mean  for  the  Presbyterian  church  at  least  4,000  American  mission- 


HOW  TO   FINANCE  THE   FIELD  203 

aries,  or  their  equivalent;  which  is  a  multiplication  of  the  number 
we  now  have  on  the  foreign  field  by  five.  Our  present  force  on  the 
foreign  field  costs  us  about  $1,200,000  a  year,  or  an  average  of  about 
one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  a  member.  If  this  force  must  be  multi- 
plied by  five  the  cost  will  probably  be  mulitplied  five  fold  at  least. 
This  means  that  the  least  amount  necessar}^  to  finance  the  foreign 
field  so  far  as  the  Presbyterian  responsibility  goes  will  probably 
be  not  less  than  $6,000,000  per  annun,  or  an  average  of  six  dollars 
per  annum.  That  is  not  so  terribly  big  is  it?  The  multitude  is 
seated,  you  see. 

2.  But  how  are  the  churches  to  go  about  securing  the  funds 
to  finance  the  foreign  work?  This  is  by  no  means  as  difficult  a 
question  as  many  people  imagine,  though  it  is  a  very  important 
one.  Make  the  multitude  sit  down  by  companies  of  fifties  and 
hundreds.  There  is  one  thing  we  have  a  great  deal  of  in  this 
country,  and  that  is  money.  People  are  wilhng  to  give  their  money, 
too,  when  they  know  it  is  going  to  a  good  and  worthy  work.  But 
if  we  are  to  receive  large  gifts  for  Foreign  Missions,  we  must  be 
wise  in  the  way  we  present  the  subject. 

I.  The  cause  of  Foreign  Missions  should  not  be  presented  along 
with  a  lot  of  other  worthy  causes.  If  its  importance  is  not  belittled 
by  its  associates,  nevertheless  the  attention  which  it  should  receive 
is  sure  to  be  distracted  by  the  presence  of  these  other  objects.  Foreign 
Missions  is  a  subject  big  enough  to  be  set  aside  from  all  other  benevo- 
lent or  missionary  causes,  and  should  be  presented  to  the  undivided 
attention  of  each  individual  member.  For  this  reason  the  omnibus 
benevolent  budget,  where  all  the  missionary  causes  are  presented 
at  one  time,  is  not  the  best  way  to  secure  the  funds  needed  either 
for  Home  Missions  or  for  Foreign  Missions.  Benevolent  and  mis- 
sionary enterprises  should  not  be  presented  all  at  one  time,  for  the 
purpose  of  securing  contributions  from  the  people  for  the  following 
reasons : 

First.  Foreign  Missions  and  Home  Missions  are  each  of  such 
magnificent  proportions  that  they  require  and  should  have  a  time 
for  separate  presentation  and  consideration. 

Second.  Subscriptions  and  offerings  for  these  causes  should  be 
made  with  intelligent  discrimination  and  enthusiastic  consecration 
if  the  amounts  needed  are  to  be  secured,  and  the  spiritual  results 
from  giving  to  these  objects  are  to  be  enjoyed  by  the  contributing 
church.  After  studying  this  proposition  in  hundreds  of  churches, 
I  have  yet  to  find  the  church  that  has  any  true  spirit  of  missions, 
or  record  of  generous  contributions  to  missions  that  bunches  its 
subscriptions  to  all  the  Boards. 

But  I  find  them  by  the  score,  and  in  every  case  practically,  deaf 
and  dumb  on  the  whole  subject  where  they  have  that  system.  I 
tried  it  myself  and  worked  it  for  all  it  was  worth,  and  was  finally 
compelled  to  cast  it  aside  as  comparatively  worthless. 


2Q4  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Yet  there  are  churches  which  present  their  whole  financial  bud- 
get, not  only  for  benevolent  and  missionary  causes,  but  for  local 
church  support,  simultaneously.     This  is  a  woeful  mistake,  because : 

a.  The  local  church  work  will  always  blind  the  contributor  to 
the  importance  of  the  work  farther  away. 

b.  The  local  church  work  when  presented  should  have  the  best 
possible  consideration  without  outside  matters  being  introduced  at 
the  time. 

c.  The  benevolent  and  missionary  enterprises  should  have  a 
clear  field  for  consideration  and  get  the  intelligent  interest  of  each 
contributor  at  the  time  he  makes  his  subscription.  This  cannot  be 
if  the  objects  are  all  presented  at  once, — the  time  the  subscriptions 
are  made  for  the  year  being  simultaneous. 

2.  Again:  The  single  annual  offering  or  collection  is  not  the 
best  way. 

A  mere  collection  for  Foreign  Missions  is  decidedly  the  worst 
possible  way.  Even  on  the  most  favorable  day,  many  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  are  not  present  when  the  collection  is  taken.  But 
if  all  should  be  present  they  are  not  "prepared"  then  to  give  all  they 
should  give  during  the  year  to  Foreign  Missions.  Many  have  not 
brought  any  money  with  them,  many  have  only  small  change  in 
their  pockets,  many  simply  could  not  give  then  what  they  have  with 
them.  This  is  true  even  though  the  offering  has  been  previously 
announced  and  worked  up,  which  is  sometimes  done  with  quite  a 
good  deal  of  success.  But  no  one  can  ghve  in  a  single  day  all  that 
he  ought  to  give  during  the  whole  year  to  Foreign  Missions.  The 
obligations  to  do  Foreign  Missionary  work  is  binding  365  days  and 
nights  in  the  year,  and  some  method  should  be  employed  by  each 
church  to  enable  its  members  to  discharge  this  obligation.  This 
method  is, 

3.  The  annual  single  subscription  system  for  Foreign  Missions. 
This  involves  the  setting  aside  of  a  certain  favorable  time  of  the 

year,  when  each  member  of  the  church  is  given  an  opportunity  to 
express  himself  Avith  a  pencil  on  a  blank  card  as  to  how  much  he 
would  like  to  give  during  the  year  to  the  great  cause  of  Foreign 
Missions,  weekly,  monthly,  or  quarterly.  It  is  best  to  have  this 
season  of  the  year  dedicated  to  a  careful  and  prayerful  consideration 
of  the  whole  subject  by  the  congregation,  the  pastor  preaching  a 
series  of  carefully  prepared  sermons  on  Foreign  Missions.  The 
subscription  should  be  received  in  the  church  on  some  favorable 
day  during  this  time,  and  then  a  canvass  made  of  those  members  of 
the  church  not  present,  with  the  purpose  to  give  each  one  an  oppor- 
tunity to  subscribe,  and  to  encourage  all  to  do  their  whole  duty  in 
the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world  in  their  life  time. 

This  is  business  and  men  like  it.  It  lifts  the  great  Foreign 
Missionary  enterprise  out  of  the  two  cent  a  week,  nickle  and  dime 
and  quarter  collection  category,  or  from  the  thimble  and  tea-party 


HOW  TO  FINANCE  THE   FIELD  205 

gathering  process,  and  places  it  upon  a  dignified,  business  basis 
where  it  belongs;  classifying  it  as  the  greatest  work  in  the  world. 

It  gives  men  a  chance  to  become  interested  and  instructed  in  the 
Foreign  Mission  Program.     Men  are  attracted  by  the  fact  that, 

"God  is  working  His  purpose  out 

As  year  succeeds  to  year: 
God  is  working  His  purpose  out 
And  the  time  is  drawing  near — 

Nearer  and  nearer  draws  the  time. 

The  time  that  shall  surely  be 
When  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with 

the  glory  of  God 
As  the  waters  cover  the  sea." 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  above  address,  Dr.  Bradt  read  the  fol- 
lowing telegram  to  the  Convention  from  Dwight  E.  Potter,  of  Cali- 
fornia: "Set  the  pace  and  we  will  follow."  Ezra  X:4:  'Arise;  for 
this  matter  belongeth  unto  thee;  we  also  will  be  with  thee;  be  of 
good  courage  and  do  it.' " 


XXXIII 

OUR  PARISH  ABROAD  AND   OUR   POLICY  FOR   EVAN- 
GELIZING IT 

BY    MR.    DAVID    MC  CONAUGHY 

The  one  unique  distinction  which  the  Christian  is  privileged  to 
have  in  common  vrith  the  Christ  is  as,  "The  Light  of  the  Worid." 
Our  Lord  never  shared  with  us  His  claim  to  be  "The  Door"  (John 
lo:  7),  or  "The  Bread  of  Life"  (John  11:  25),  or  "The  Resurrection 
and  the  Life"  (John  1 1 :  25),  but  He  who  said,  "I  am  the  Light  of  the 
World"  (John  9:  5),  did  likewise  say,  "Ye  are  the  Light  of  the 
World"  (Mat.  5:14).  And  since  "Whatever  maketh  manifest  is 
light"  (Eph.  5:  13),  should  not  our  chief  concern  be  to  be  mani- 
festly, transparently  true,  honest,  pure,  unselfish,  Christlike?  In 
this  one  respect,  it  is  the  prerogative  of  every  Christian  to  identify 
himself  absolutely  with  Christ.  And  it  is  just  here,  is  it  not,  that 
our  missionary  obligation  really  resides — not  so  much  in  certain 
words  of  a  command  which  we  term  "the  Great  Commission,"  as 
in  the  Great  Possession:  "Ye  once  were  darkness,  but  are  now 
light  in  the  Lord"  (Eph.  5:8).  This  obligation  to  be  "the  light  of 
the  world"  is  not  one  that  can  be  calculated  mathematically  and  dis- 
posed of  by  dividing  the  gross  darkness  by  the  number  of  individual 
"lights."  I  cannot  rest  content  to  be  but  a  five-candle  power  light, 
by  any  cash  register  system  of  $5  a  head.  "Let  your  light  so 
shine,"  according  to  the  full  power  of  the  individual  wire  to  carry 
the  current  from  "The  light  of  the  world"  to  the  whole  world. 

OUR  PARISH 

Now  in  describing  the  sphere  within  which  every  Christian  is 
to  "shine,"  our  Lord  describes  three  circles.  The  first  is  a  circum- 
ference no  narrower  than  "The  World,"  and  within  that  wide  peri- 
meter He  recognizes  certain  distinct  circles  of  responsibility  viz.: — 

1.  "The  world."     A  Parish  Abroad.     (Foreign  Missions.) 

2.  "A  City."     A  Parish  at  Home.     (Home  Missions.) 

3.  "A   Candle."     The  force  for  evangelizing   the   field.     (The 

Local  Church.) 
When  at  last  He  was  about  to  leave  the  disciples,  once  more  He 
indicates   similar  concentric   circles  within   which   every   Christian 
should  stand  as  a  witness,  viz. : — 

1.  "In  Jerusalem."     The  force.     (Local.) 

2.  "In  all  Judea  and  Samaria."     The  Parish  at  Home.      (Na- 
«  tional.) 

206 


OUR  PARISH  ABROAD  AND  OUR  POLICY  FOR  EVANGELIZING  IT     207 

3.  "Unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."     The  Parish  Abroad. 

(World  wide.) 
The  same  lines  are  indicated  by  Paul,  when,  in  his  first  letter  to 
the  Thessalonians,  4:  9-10  he  writes: — 

1.  "Ye  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another.'^     (Local.) 

2.  "Indeed  ye  do  it  toward  all  the  brethren  who  are  in  all  Mace- 

donia.'^    (National.) 

3.  "But  we  exhort  you  that  ye  abound  more  and  more.''     (The 

Whole  World.) 

May  we  not  very  well  follow  the  lines  thus  laid  down  as  indicating 
the  circles  wdthin  which  every  church,  as  well  as  every  individual 
Christian,  should  "Shine,"  should  "Witness,"  should  "Love,"  even 
"unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth"? 

If  the  church  is  most  effectively  to  make  itself  felt  as  the  force  to 
evangelize  both  the  Parish  at  Home  (National)  and  its  Parish  Abroad 
(world  wide),  as  its  field,  some  sense  of  proportion  must  be  deter- 
mined and  preserved.  Let  us,  therefore,  fairly  face  the  facts,  as 
regards  the  two  distinct  circles  of  our  present  responsibility  as  a 
church : 

The  Field.*  In  our  own  country,  since  one  in  four  of  the 
population  is  a  com.municant  member  of  a  Protestant  Christian 
church,  our  proportion  of  the  community  outside  the  church  may 
be  taken  to  be  about  three  times  the  number  of  our  communicants; 
but,  allowing  liberally,  we  may  reckon  the  part  of  the  population  in 
this  country  for  which  our  church  is  responsible,  at  four  millions. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  foreign  lands  those  to  whom  we  have  delib- 
erately made  ourselves  responsible  to  give  the  gospel  number  about 
one  hundred  million  non-Christians,  reckoning  as  our  own  proper 
constituency  only  the  population  of  those  sections  where  we  have 
preempted  the  field  and  where,  in  accordance  with  the  prin- 
ciple of  comity,  other  missionary  bodies  will  not  feel  free  to  M'ork. 
And  in  this  field  of  ours,  they  are  perishing  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand 
a  day  without  ever  having  had  a  chance  to  receive  the  gospel. 

The  Force.  For  four  millions  of  people  in  this  country,  for 
the  most  part  nominally  Christian,  we  have  a  force  of  some  7,750 
men,  or  one  man  to  each  516  of  our  part  of  the  population.  For 
the  hundred  million  non- Christians  abroad,  we  have  at  present  280 
ordained  and  81  unordained  workers,  making  in  all  361  men,  clerical 
and  lay,  or  one  to  277,000 — giving,  on  an  average,  to  each  of  our 
male  missionaries  a  population  considerably  greater  than  that  of 
Wyoming  and  Nevada,  with  Alaska  twice  over,  all  combined,  or 
more  than  the  population  of  the  city  of  Washington,  or  of  Milwaukee, 
or  of  New  Orleans.  If  our  field  at  home  were  manned  in  the  same 
ratio,  as  our  field  abroad,  we  should  have  but  fourteen  Presbyterian 
ministers  for  the  entire  community  of  our  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
United  States  of  America. 

*See  chart  of  the  Field,  Force,  Funds,  page  208. 


208 


MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 


The  Funds.  For  our  owti  congregational  expenses  last  year 
we  spent  a  little  more  than  thirteen  and  a  quarter  millions  of  dollars. 
For  Home  Missions  in  its  varied  aspects — after  deducting  that  pro- 
portion of  contributions  for  Education,  College  Aid  and  Ministerial 
Relief  which  is  fairly  chargeable  to  Foreign  Missions — we  contributed, 
as  a  church,  almost  four  and  a  half  millions,  or  an  aggregate  of 
nearly  $18,000,000,  for  the  work  of  our  church  in  this  country.  At 
the  same  time  for  our  Foreign  Mission  work,  for  the  evangelization 
of  one  hundred  million  non- Christians,  there  was  contributed  by 
living  donors,  adding  one-tv/entieth  of  all  that  was  contributed  for 


THE  FIELD 


THE  PDRCE 


THE  PUND5 


the  above  mentioned  Boards,  (to  the  amount  given  through  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions)  less  than  one  million  dollars,  or  to  be 
exact,  $973>633- 

Of  the  eight  Boards  of  our  church  (with  the  modification  men- 
tioned) seven  are  -in  fact  Home  Missions,  in  one  aspect  or  another. 
Whether  the  money  goes  to  establish  a  Sunday  School  on  the  far 
frontier  and  to  supply  it  with  literature  through  the  Board  of  Publi- 
cation and  Sabbath  School  work,  or  after  a  few  years  to  develop 
that  Sunday  School  into  a  church  organization  through  the  Board 
of  Hfome  Alisslons,  or  to  put  a  roof  over  that  church  through  the 


OUR  PARISH  ABROAD  AND  OUR  POLICY  FOR  EVANGELIZING  IT        2O9 

Board  of  Church  Erection,  or  through  the  Board  of  Education  to 
prepare  a  pastor  to  minister  to  that  church,  all  this  is  part  of  one 
proposition — our  national  problem  of  Home  Missions,  in  its  several 
aspects.  Moreover,  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  is  doing  all  of 
these  lines  of  work  and  carrying  on  a  world-wide  medical  service 
besides.  With  63,404  children,  many  of  them  non-Christian,  in  its 
Sabbath  Schools;  10  printing  establishments  turning  out  last  year 
171,277  pages  of  literature  in  25  different  languages,  with  its  hun- 
dreds of  church  buildings  erected  largely  by  the  contributions  of  the 
native  Christians,  its  1,001  schools  and  colleges  with  32,430  scholars 
and  preparing  232  native  Christian  young  men  for  the  ministry, 
its  112  hospitals  and  dispensaries  caring  for  445,683  patients,  and 
its  443  churches,  with  62,622  members,  adding  9,863  converts  within 
a  single  year — is  not  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions — indeed  a 
Board  of  Boards? 

The  factors,'"'^  then,  in  the  equation  of  the  church's  obligation 
may  be  summed  up  as  in  diagram  on  preceding  page. 

While  thus  seeking  to  get  a  true  perspective  of  the  problem  in 
its  entirety  and  with  a  view  to  its  relative  claims,  on  no  account 
should  either  of  these  great  interests  be  pressed  at  the  expense  of 
the  other.  Both  must  be  provided  for  on  a  stable  and  adequate 
basis  such  as  becomes  possible  only  as  this  simple,  two-fold  dis- 
tinction comes  to  be  clearly  recognized.  Instead  of  appealing  for 
a  collection  for  eight  or  more  competing  claims,  would  it  not  be  far 
better  for  the  work  as  a  whole  and  for  every  phase  of  it,  to  secure 
an  individual  subscription,  payable  weekly  as  a  part  of  worship  for 
each  of  these  two  great  causes — the  Parish  Abroad  and  the  Parish 
at  Home,  the  latter  being  divided  upon  a  ratio  designated  by  the 
Session,  if  not  by  the  subscribers?  Where  this  is  done  it  is  found 
that  every  one  of  the  Boards  receives  more,  both  pulpit  and  pew  are 
relieved  of  begging  appeals  and  the  way  is  opened  for  a  more  effect- 
ive process  of  education  concerning  the  entire  work  of  the  church. 

OUR  POLICY 

We  are  assured  that  at  last  the  time  has  come  when  the  problem 
which  we  have  so  long  been  working  at  is  to  be  worked  out.  And, 
in  order  to  make  any  such  advance  as  is  contemplated,  is  it  not 
necessary  to  get  hack  to  the  first  principles  upon  which,  alone,  any 
real  Forward  Movement  can  be  permanently  effected?  The  church 
must  re-read  upon  her  knees  the  terms  of  her  charter  and  make 
sure  of  being  in  line  with  the  will  of  her  Lord.  Such  a  search  will 
surely  reveal  principles  such  as  these  that  constitute  our  church 
policy : 

I.  It  is  the  mission  of  the  whole  church  to  give  the  gospel  to 
the  whole  world. 

*  These  figures  are  for  1905-06. 


2IO  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

2.  This  entire  church  being  a  Missionary  society  each  member 
of  the  body  is  under  covenant  to  help  fulfil  the  \nll  of  the  head;  to 
give  the  gospel  to  every  creature. 

3.  Every  Christian  is  commanded  to  "go,"  if  not  in  person,  then 
potentially  having  a  share  by  gift  and  prayer  in  supporting  a  Parish 
Abroad,  as  well  as  the  Parish  at  Home. 

4.  Our  giving  should  be  an  act  of  worship  (Prov.  3:  9),  cheerful 
(11  Cor.  9:  7),  and  according  to  the  rule  of  three  (i  Cor.  16:  2). 

Individually,  systematically,  proportionately: — "Let  every  one 
of  you  lay  by  him  in  store  on  the  hrst  day  of  the  week  as  God  hath 
prospered  him." 

Objection  has  been  raised,  and  rightly,  to  the  microscopic  appli- 
cation of  the  specific  principle.  Undoubtedly  there  is  a  more,  ex- 
cellent way  than  to  attach  contributions  to  the  support  of  particular 
persons — whether  native  or  American.  But  it  is  a  perfectly  reason- 
able demand  that  our  men  are  making  for  some  point  of  contact 
with  the  great  world  field.  He  who  has  numberless  points  of  con- 
tact by  constant  correspondence  with  all  parts  of  that  field,  may  be 
in  a  position  to  grasp  the  world-wide  generalization.  But  most  men 
arc  in  no  such  position  and  to  the  average  busy  man  of  business, 
"Foreign  Missions"  is  but  a  vague  abstraction,  which  must  be  re- 
duced to  the  terms  of  a  concrete  proposition  in  order  to  make  it 
intelligible.  He  demands  a  point  of  contact.  And  tliis  is  just  what 
the  plan  of  the  Parish  Abroad  supplies.  Eliminating  what  is  acci- 
dental, but  preser\ang  every  essential  element  of  advantage  in  the 
various  specific  object  plans  hitherto  in  vogue,  this  policy  at  once 
distributes  responsibility  to  each  church  and  to  every  member  and 
at  the  same  time  meets  the  demand  for  a  point  of  contact,  with 
specific  as  well  as  general  information. 

By  ''the  Parish  Abroad'"  is  meant  so  much  either  o]  the  work  in 
its  entirety  or  of  a  particular  station  in  all  its  variety,  as  the  voluntary, 
systematic  subscription  of  individual  members  0}  a  church  jar  thai 
purpose  7nay  aggregate.  Whatever  the  amount  may  be,  to  begin 
with,  the  church  is  put  into  communication  with  its  Parish  Abroad 
through  a  missionar}^  who  serves  as  the  Living  Link.  The  point 
of  contact  thus  established  is  to  serve  as  a  point  of  departure  from 
which  interest,  as  it  becomes  intelligent,  should  extend  over  the  whole 
world-wide  field.     The  principles  involved  are  these: — 

1.  It  is  of  the  nature  of  knowledge  to  grow  from  the  kno\Mi  to 
the  unknown. 

2.  In  order  to  growth  there  must  needs  be  a  root  or  point  of 
contact  in  the  plane  of  personal  experience. 

3.  Given  such  a  point  of  contact,  fed  adequately  with  informa- 
tion, knowledge  will  grow  extensively  in  direct  ratio  as  it  increases 
intensively. 

Now  the  outcome  necessarily  depends  upon  the  establishing  and 
maintaining  of  a  Living  Chain  of  communication  between  the  Parish 


OUR  PARISH  ABROAD  AND  OUR  POLICY  FOR  EVANGELIZING  IT        211 

at  Home  and  its  Parish  Abroad.     Such  a  chain  should    consist  of 
at  least  three  Living  Links,  viz. : — 

1.  The  missionary  who,  at  the  farther  end,  serves  as  the  Living 
Link  with  the  Parish  Abroad. 

2.  The  "Missionaryite"  at  ihis  end  who  serves  as  the  Living 
Link  with  the  Parish  at  Home,  (which  link  may  be  multiplied  many 
fold);  and 

3.  The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  serving  as  the  middle  link 
between  the  two,  seeing  to  it  that  the  communication  is  satisfactorily 
maintained,  performing  the  function  that  the  Clearing  House  does 
to  the  banks  or  the  Central  Exchange  to  the  telephone  system. 

Not  only  in  respect  to  correspondence,  but  also  as  to  prayer, 
may  this  arrangement  of  the  Living  Chain  between  the  Parish  at 
Home  and  the  Parish  Abroad  be  applied.  To  have  for  each  station, 
the  backing  of  a  growing  company  of  missionary  intercessors,  this 
is  the  very  consummation  of  the  Living  Chain,  connecting  all  the 
work  and  the  workers  by  golden  chains  to  the  throne  of  God ! 

Where  this  policy  has  been  put  into  operation,  not  only  has  there 
been  a  substantial  increase  in  the  amount  of  money  raised  for  the 
work  both  at  home  and  abroad,  but  likewise  an  increase  of  intelli- 
gent interest  and  of  reflex  effect  upon  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church 
which  thus  realizes  itself  to  be  a  force  for  the  evangelization  of  a 
world-field. 

It  is  for  us  to  follow  the  Master's  method  in  breaking  the  Bread 
of  Life  to  this  multitude.  According  to  Mark's  account  of  the 
miracle  of  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  "He  commanded  that  all 
should  sit  down  by  companies.  And  they  sat  down  hy  hundreds 
and  hy  fifties."  The  field,  fifty  rows  of  a  hundred;  the  force,  a  mis- 
sionary church  of  twelve  members — every  member  a  man! — and 
a  little  lad  who  counted  for  at  least  half  a  man's  part.  Our  field: 
A  million  rows  of  a  hundred;  our  force,  about  a  million  members; 
our  funds,  about  a  million  dollars.  And  what  is  required  is  a  five- 
fold increase  of  funds  which  would  make  possible  a  five-fold  increase 
of  force,  which  would  make  possible  the  evangelization  of  our 
field  at  no  very  distant  day.  In  order  to  carry  out  our  policy,  it  is 
necessary  that  we  get  into  closer  personal  touch  with  "the  Light  of 
the  world,"  that  we  get  down  to  the  fundamental  principles  which 
constitute  the  divine  basis  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  that  we  get 
a  sense  of  proportion  as  to  our  responsibility  at  Home  and  Abroad, 
that  we  get  this  responsibility  distributed,  so  we  get,  individually, 
into  intelligent  touch  each  with  his  own  part  of  this  great  under- 
taking. 


XXXIV 

MISSIONARY  METHODS  FOR  MEN  IN  THE  LOCAL 

CHURCH 

BY  REV.  WM.  S.  MARQUIS,  D.D. 

We  rejoice  to  believe  that  men  have  a  special  work  to  preform 
in  the  Church  of  Christ.  It  was  a  man  whom  God  called  out  of 
Ur  and  promised  to  make  a  blessing  to  all  the  families  of  earth;  it 
was  a  man  who  set  up  the  first  family  altar  in  Canaan;  it  was  a  man 
who  led  Israel  out  of  Egypt  and  received  the  Law  on  Sinai;  men 
were  consecrated  as  priests  of  the  most  High  God,  and  given  charge 
of  the  Tabernacle;  Jesus  called  twelve  men  to  be  His  Apostles  and 
gave  them  the  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  w^orld  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." 

Woman  has  her  place  and  work  in  the  church.  She  has  filled  it 
with  wondrous  love  and  devotion.  She  has  even  gone  beyond 
her  duty,  and  done  much  that  we  men  should  have  done.  But 
with  all  respect  to  her  zeal  and  ability,  there  are  some  things  which 
women  cannot  do  in  the  church,  and  which  the  men  must  do,  or 
they  will  forever  go  undone.  If  we  are  to  have  the  deep  vibrant 
soul-stirring  bass  notes  in  the  worship  of  God's  house,  the  men 
must  put  them  there.  This  is  no  little  matter.  Drop  these  notes 
out  of  your  music  and  you  have  destroyed  its  harmony  and  lost 
much  of  its  power.  What  will  your  great  pipe  organ  amount  to 
without  those  deep  pedal  tones  which  makes  the  windows  and  walls 
thrill !  What  a  pitiful  thing  it  would  be  to  try  to  render  adequately 
Luther's  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Reformation,  "Ein  feste  burg  ist  unser 
Gott,"  or  Handel's  Hallelujah  Chorus,  without  men's  voices !  This 
is  one  thing  that  ails  the  church, — she  is  robbed  of  much  of  her  power 
because  men's  voices  are  not  heard  in  compelling  volume  in  her 
worship. 

Again,  Men  only  can  bear  a  man's  testimony  to  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  Men  and  women  have  the  same  religious  natures  and 
needs;  but  they  do  life's  work  in  different  spheres.  One  in  the  home 
and  social  circle,  the  other  in  business  and  public  life.  Therefore 
they  have  distinct  experiences  of  the  worth  of  the  gospel,  and  dis- 
tinct testimonies  to  bear.  The  world  is  watching  every  man  in  the 
church  to  see  of  what  real  practical  value  the  gospel  and  the  church 
are  to  him. 

A  wife  can  cany  a  man's  subscription  up  to  church  but  she 
cannot  cany  his  testimony.  A  pastor  cannot  speak  to  the  world 
for  "all  the  men  of  his  church.     Plenty  of  men  class  us  preachers 


MISSIONARY  METHODS  FOR  MEN  IN  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH         213 

with  the  women;  think  we  live  in  woman's  sphere  rather  than  man's, 
laugh  at  us  as  "sissy"  fellows  who  do  not  know  anything  about  the 
battle  of  the  street.  An  old  Scotchman  said,  "Six  days  the  preacher 
was  invisible  and  the  seventh  he  was  incomprehensible."  Another 
said  of  his  preacher, — "He  can  dive  deeper,  stay  down  longer,  and 
come  up  dryer  than  any  man  I  ever  saw."  Of  course  these  are 
cruel  slanders;  but  they  show  how  impossible  it  is  for  the  pastor  to 
serve  as  a  proxy  for  all  the  men  of  his  congregation.  They  must 
be  there  to  bear  their  own  testimony  to  Jesus  Christ. 

Then  only  men  can  co7itrihute  man^s  inherited  and  developed  busi- 
ness ability  to  the  church.  Women  have  recently  made  great  gains 
in  the  business  world;  but  without  doubt  men  are  yet  supreme. 
The  law  recognizes  them.  They  have  their  hands  on  the  capital 
and  machinery  of  business.  If  this  tremendous  power  is  to  be  laid 
at  Christ's  feet, — if  the  church  is  to  have  the  best  business  methods 
in  local  affairs  and  in  her  evangelistic  enterprises, — the  men  must 
consecrate  their  business  ability.  Why  is  it  that  so  many  strong 
churches  have  such  weak  credit?  Why  is  it  that  with  marvelous 
organization,  and  such  miracles  of  achievement  in  the  business 
world,  the  church  clings  to  antiquated  methods  and  moves  so  slowly? 
It  is  because  business  men  in  the  church  will  not  devote  their  ability 
to  her  problems. 

One  thing  more  only  men  can  do,  and  that  is  exercise  the  ecclesi- 
astical and  civic  power  entrusted  unto  them.  Law  and  custom  com- 
bine to  shut  woman  out  of  .both  ecclesiastical  and  civic  offices.  They 
are  bestowed  on  men;  therefore  to  men  alone  belongs  the  respon- 
sibility. While  men  claim  for  themselves  the  office  of  the  ministry, 
the  eldership,  the  trusteeship,  the  deaconate,  they  are  responsible 
for  the  discharge  of  the  duties.  While  they  hold  the  ballot  in  civic 
life,  they  are  responsible  for  making  the  church  and  religion  of  Christ 
contribute  to  the  civic  welfare.  When  the  Christian  manhood  of 
the  church  cr^-stalizes  its  convictions  at  the  ballot  box  we  shall  see 
some  reforms  realized,  which  the  women  with  all  their  zeal  and 
sacrifice  can  never  accomplish. 

We  see  therefore  that  men  have  indeed,  a  specific  work  in  the 
church  which  the  women  cannot  do.  The  practical  question  which 
confronts  this  convention  is: — How  can  this  manhood  force  be  mar- 
shaled and  swung  into  line  for  Foreign  Missions? 

Do  I  need  to  prove  that  it  has  not  been  in  line?  Not  a  few  men 
have  been  loyal  to  Christ's  command; — but  the  manhood  of  the 
church  has  not  been  in  line.  Of  889  laborers  in  the  foreign  field, 
sent  out  by  our  church,  516  are  women  and  373  are  men.  During 
the  last  four  years  there  has  been  an  average  of  661  churches  in  our 
denomination  which  gave  nothing  to  foreign  missions  except  through 
the  women's  societies.  202  more  gave  nothing  except  through  the 
Sunday  School  and  Young  People's  Societies.  We  cannot  say  ex- 
actly what  proportion  of  our  annual  offering  to  missions  comes  from 


214  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

the  men  and  what  from  the  women;  but  the  carefully  kept  statistics 
of  my  own  church  show  that  for  a  period  of  five  years,  the  women 
constituted  54  per  cent  of  the  recorded  givers,  and  they  gave  63  per 
cent  of  the  total  amount. 

What  would  be  thought  of  the  men  of  this  nation  if  they  per- 
mitted the  women  to  out  number  them  in  the  support  of  the  flag  in 
the  Philippines,  and  then  asked  the  women  at  home  to  supply  the 
bulk  of  the  funds  to  maintain  them  in  the  field?  Do  you  wonder 
so  many  men  of  the  world  brand  Christianity  as  a  "Woman's  super- 
stition?" Do  you  wonder  that  they  deride  Foreign  Missions  as 
visionary,  when  so  few  of  the  business  men  of  the  church  manifest 
any  vital  interest? 

Thank  God  this  unique  convention  is  going  to  help  correct  this 
lethargy  of  the  men,  and  prove  to  the  world  Foreign  Missions  is  not 
a  Women's  and  Children's  Crusade. 

When  we  come  to  the  practical  question, — How  shall  we  set  the 
men  of  the  church  at  work  for  missions? — it  is  evident  we  are  face 
to  face  with  a  crucial  question.     We  must  find  methods  that  are: 

1.  Scriptural  in  principle. 

2.  Universal  of  application. 

3.  Practical  in  a  business  sense. 

4.  Permanent  and  not  ephemeral  . 

5.  Harmonious  to  Presbyterian  polity. 

These  conditions  at  once  cut  out  a  number  of  popular  methods 
for  getting  the  men  to  do  something  for  missions. 

1.  They  cut  out  the  Gastronomic  Method.  The  ovster  and 
chicken  pie  bait.  Men  have  worked  hard  in  this  line.  They  have 
enjoyed  it,  but  it  is  a  failure  as  a  men's  method,  for  the  women  serve 
the  feasts  and  take  the  profits.  It  is  not  scriptural,  and  after  all 
the  men  cannot  eat  enough  to  support  the  cause. 

2.  These  conditions  also  cut  out  the  long-used,  over-worked, 
gray-headed  and  utterly  inadequate  Annual  Collection  Method.  Let 
it  be  honorably  retired  and  sent  into  "inocuous  desuetude." 

3.  They  also  set  aside  the  Galvanic  Battery  Method — or  the 
method  of  quickening  missionary  interest  and  giving  by  the  special 
appeals  of  missionary  experts.  It  is  not  altogether  illegitimate.  It 
may  be  used  now  and  then  as  we  send  for  specialists  in  desperate 
cases.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  once  received  a  letter  which  read 
thus:  "Dear  Doc:  I  have  a  pashunt  whos  physical  sines  shozes 
his  wind-pipe  is  ulcerated  off  and  I  fear  his  lungs  have  dropped  into 
his  stummick.  I  haf  give  him  everything  without  cffeck.  His 
Father  is  honorable,  wealthy  and  influential.  He  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  God  noes  I  don't  want  to  loze  him 
what  shall  I  do?"  Now  God  knows  we  do  not  want  to  lose  the 
men  and  the  money  we  have  been  receiving  through  such  methods 
for  foreign  missions ;  but  we  must  confess  that  they  are  not  the  best, 
the  most  spiritual,  the  most  adequate.     What  then  shall  we  do? 


MISSIONARY  METHODS  FOR  MEN  IN  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH        21$ 

1.  The  first  step  is  to  get  the  men  who  officer  the  church  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  Foreign  Missions.  Pastors,  elders,  trustees,  dea- 
cons, should  personally  and  officially  assume  the  obligation  laid  upon 
them  in  the  Great  Commission.  How  can  we  expect  to  enlist  the 
men  of  the  congregation  if  the  officers — the  leaders — do  not  feel  the 
grip  of  this  command  upon  their  consciences? 

A  Foreign  Missionary  Session  is  especially  necessary  to  a  Foreign 
Missionary  Church.  Pastors  come  and  go,  but  the  session  remains, 
therefore  it  is  the  foreign  missionary  session  that  is  needed ; — a  session 
that  recognizes  the  world's  evangelization  as  the  supreme  work  of 
the  church; — a  session  which  feels  a  solemn  obligation  resting  upon 
it  to  see  that  the  whole  church  is  enlightened  and  enlisted  in  this 
mission  campaign.  A  man  who  disbelieves  in  Foreign  Missions  is 
disqualified  for  the  eldership.  A  prominent  Chicago  merchant, 
Mr.  E.  H.  Pitkin,  in  writing  to  one  of  our  Secretaries  says:  "I  am 
interested  in  giving  money  to  foreign  missions,  first,  because  in  so 
doing  I  am  obeying  the  last  command  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, — 
'Go  ye  forth  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creat- 
ure,' and  I  believe  that  no  Christian  man  has  the  right  to  say  that  he 
does  not  believe  in,  and  is  not  interested  in  Foreign  Missions,  as  I 
consider  that  disloyalty  to  the  Master."  That  is  the  kind  of  stuff 
elders  should  be  made  of. 

2.  The  second  step  in  enlisting  the  men,  is  for  the  church  in 
congregational  meeting  to  adopt  Christ's  command  as  the  Mission- 
ary Platform.  Then  every  new  member  joins  it  as  a  missionary 
organization.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  pastor  and  session  to  lead  the 
way  and  educate  the  congregation  up  to  this  step.  Though  I  be- 
lieve the  majority  of  our  congregations  are  ready  to  take  it.  In  one 
of  the  best  missionary  churches  in  our  denomination  the  session 
adopted  the  following  platform: 

1.  This  entire  church  is  a  missionary  society  the  object  of  which 
is  to  aid  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  and  every  member  of 
this  church  is  a  member  for  life  of  said  society  and  bound  to  do  all 
in  his  power  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  object. 

2.  Each  member  of  the  body  being  under  covenant  to  help  carry 
out  the  will  of  the  Head  is  privileged  to  have  an  intelligent,  prayer- 
ful and  practical  part  in  fulfilling  the  Great  Commission  to  go  and 
give  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  if  not  in  person,  then  potentially 
by  gift  and  prayer,  contributing  not  only  for  the  support  of  the 
Parish  at  Home,  but  likewise  for  the  Parish  at  Large  and  Abroad, 
according  to  the  Rule  of  Three  in  i  Cor.  14:  2  viz.: 

Let  every  one  of  you — (Individually) 

Lay  by  him  in  store  on  the  first  day  of  the  week— (Systematically) 

As  God  hath  prospered  him — (Proportionately). 

The  mere  proposal  of  such  a  missionary  platform  would  kindle 
discussion  and  open  the  eyes  of  many  Christian  men  to  their  per- 
sonal duty.     What  Christian  dare  refuse  to  vote  for  such  a  platform? 


2l6  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Who  dare  vote  for  it  and  then  be  indifferent  to  the  cause  of 
missions? 

3.  The  third  step  is  Organization  to  carr>'  out  this  platform. 

A  very  simple  plan  is  the  formation  of  a  General  Missionary 
Committee^  made  up  of  one  representative  from  each  department 
of  the  church, — Session,  Trustee,  Sunday  School,  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Society,  Young  People's  Society,  Brotherhood.  This  com- 
mittee plans,  stimulates  and  guides  the  missionary  labors  of  the 
church, — Home  as  well  as  Foreign.  It  is  easily  adapted  to  any 
church;  unifies  the  work  and  prevents  the  friction  liable  to  arise 
between  independent  societies  in  the  same  church. 

The  Central  Church  of  New  York  City  has  labored  under  this 
plan  of  organization  for  twelve  years,  until  it  has  become  one  of. the 
foremost  missionary  churches  in  the  countr}',  supporting  a  Home 
Mission  Parish  in  Kentucky,  and  a  Foreign  Mission  Parish  at  Hwai 
Yuen,  China. 

Some  have  advocated  the  formation  of  Men's  Missionary  Societies 
just  like  the  Women's  Societies.  But  the  organization  of  the  Brother- 
hoods now  going  on  makes  this  unnecessary.  We  believe  the  new 
organization  will  be  able  to  do  more  for  Foreign  Missions  than  a 
distinctively  Men's  Missionary  Society.  It  will  gather  in  more 
men.  All  that  is  necessary  is  for  the  Brotherhood  or  Men's  Club 
to  keep  the  missionary  platform  of  the  church  continually  in  \iew, — 
that  Foreign  Missions  is, a  "Man's  job"  which  it  is  a  sin  and  shame 
to  leave  to  the  women.  Let  there  be  a  Missionary  Committee 
in  the  Brotherhood;  let  this  subject  have  its  place  in  the  meetings; 
let  the  influence  of  the  organization  be  given  to  the  pastor  and  ses- 
sion in  the  effort  to  maintain  missionary  interest  and  support;  let 
the  Missionary  Committee  circulate  among  the  men  the  literature 
of  the  Board.  The  Bulletins  mailed  regularly  with  a  personal  note 
from  the  committee  of  the  Brotherhood  to  every  man  in  the  church 
will  do  more  to  feed  missionary  intelligence,  correct  false  notions 
and  banish  indifference  than  anything  that  can  be  done.  Men 
cannot  resist  the  logic  and  appeal  of  such  facts.  The  Woodlawn 
Park  Church,  Chicago,  organized  a  Men's  League  some  ten  years 
ago.  It  has  ten  committees  which  report  at  the  monthly  meeting. 
The  Benevolent  Committee  has  charge  of  missionary  matters.  It 
carries  on  systematic  education  through  the  mid-week  prayer-meeting 
and  the  pulpit  on  Sunday.  It  is  made  up  of  representatives  of  the 
Session  and  the  Men's  League  and  the  pastor  has  always  been  a 
member  of  it.  Before  this  committee  was  appointed  the  gifts  of 
the  congregation  to  Foreign  Missions  had  fallen  below  $250  and 
from  all  the  organizations  of  the  church  the  total  never  exceeded 
$450.  Since  the  work  of  the  committee  became  effective  the  amounts 
for  the  last  two  years  ha^'e  been  in  the  neighborhood  of  $800  from 
the  congregation,  and  the  total  $1,200.  "With  us  the  men  have 
never  been  reproached  with  lagging  behind  the  women  in  the  con- 


MISSIONARY  METHODS  FOR  MEN  IN  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH        217 

gregation."     This  experience  can  be  repeated  in  any  church,  weak 
or  strong,  which  will  organize  and  work  along  the  same  lines. 

4.  Experience  shows  that  if  you  want  to  get  men  interested  in 
giving  you  must  lay  a  definite  work  before  them  and  put  it  on  a  busi- 
ness like  basis.  Give  them  opportunity  to  support  a  "Living  Link," 
or  to  take  a  block  of  stock  in  a  Parish  Abroad,  and  then  lay  a  sub- 
scription paper  before  them  and  see  what  a  change  it  will  make. 
My  own  church  was  giving  some  $300  aside  from  what  the  ladies 
gave,  up  to  1902.  Then  we  were  permitted  to  adopt  as  our  mis- 
sionary. Rev.  Graham  Lee  of  Pyeng  Yang,  who  went  out  of  our  own 
church.  We  asked  the  congregation  for  $800  and  sent  out  sub- 
scription blanks  through  the  audience.  When  they  were  counted 
up  we  found  we  had  more  than  the  $800  needed.  We  have  had  a 
committee  of  one  from  the  session  in  charge  of  this  business  ever 
since.  He  secures  new  subscriptions  and  makes  collections.  Now 
we  propose  to  organize  a  General  Missionary  Committee  such  as  I 
have  described.  Sunday  January  27  was  our  missionary  day.  The 
evening  service  was  in  charge  of  the  Men's  Club  and  the  result 
was  that  our  pledge  to  the  Board  for  this  year  was  raised  to 
$1,000. 

A  subscription  for  a  definite  work  appeals  to  men.  It  is  the  way 
they  take  stock  in  business  enterprises.  The  last  Missionary  Review 
tells  us  how  Hon.  R.  W.  Perks,  a  Member  of  Parliament,  having 
his  attention  called  to  missions  as  an  investment,  sent  for  the  reports 
of  the  church  missionary  society  twenty  years  ago  and  compared  its 
figures  with  the  report  of  last  year.  He  was  astounded  at  the  pro- 
gress revealed  and  sent  his  check  for  five  hundred  pounds  instead  of 
the  ten  pounds  he  had  been  accustomed  to  give.  Men  must  face 
this  work  as  a  business  proposition, — the  King's  business;  then  they 
will  give.  The  most  encouraging  signs  of  the  times  for  this  cause 
are  the  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  inaugurated  in  New  York 
this  fall,  with  such  men  as  ex-mayor  Seth  Low  at  its  head,  and  this 
Men's   Convention. 

They  are  going  to  quench  the  ignorant  sneer  that  this  foreign 
mission  business  is  a  Women's  and  Children's  Crusade.  They  are 
going  to  deliver  the  men  of  the  church  from  a  very  unhappy  com- 
parison with  the  women  by  leading  them  up  to  the  full  expression 
of  their  love  for  Christ,  and  for  the  perishing  millions.  The  hour 
has  come  for  organization  of  every  church  on  the  Missionary  Plat- 
form which  Christ  has  given  us,  and  the  apportionment  to  every 
church  of  a  definite  measure  of  the  responsibility  for  the  evangeli- 
zation of  the  world.  What  could  this  convention  do  that  would  be 
more  practical  than  to  inaugurate  a  church- wide  campaign  having 
for  its  object  the  lifting  of  every  church  great  and  small  uj:)  to  this 
missionary  ideal: 

I.  A  Foreign  Missionary  Session  acknowledging  its  obliggition 
to  carry  out  God's  Command. 


2l8  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

2.  The  adoption  by  congregation  of  the  Great  Commission  as 
the  Missionary  Platfonn  of  the  church. 

3.  A  general  Missionary  Committee  in  every  church  to  educate 
stimulate,  and  carry  out  this  platform. 

4.  A  definite  measure  of  responsibility  for  a  definite  Parish 
Abroad,  or  for  a  definite  sum  for  the  general  fund  of  the  Board. 

5.  A  systematic  canvass  annually  for  subscriptions  to  this  great 
work. 

It  is  the  work  of  the  men  to  educate  the  church  up  to  this  ideal, 
for  men  constitute  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  men  hold  the 
offices  of  Synodical  and  Presbyterial  Foreign  Mission  Chairmen, 
men  fill  the  offices  of  pastor,  elders  and  deacons,  and  men  have  their 
hands  upon  the  wealth  of  the  nation.  Therefore  with  them  rests 
the  responsibility  of  educating  the  church  up  to  this  ideal, 

"To-morrow's  a  myth, 
Get  busy  forthwith. 
To-day  is  a  fact, 
Act,  man,  act." 


The   Missionary  Congress 

*'And  the  Apostles  and  the  Elders  were  gathered  together 
to  consider  this  matter!'' 


219 


Chairman:  Charles  Edwin  Bradt. 
Devotional:  Prof.  Charles  Herron,  D.D. 
Benediction  :  Rev.  Charles  A.  Highfield 


COMMITTEE  ON  RECOMMENDATIONS 

Chairman,  Rev.  W.  S.  Marquis,  D.D. 
Secretary,  Mr.  W.  A.  Funk 


CALIFORNIA 

Rev.  J.  H.  Laughlin  D.D.,  Oakland. 
Judge  I.  C.  Jenks,  Oakland. 

COLORADO 

Rev.  O.  S.  Baum,  Denver. 
Mr.  John  C.  Murray,  Denver. 

ILLINOIS 

Rev.  Wm.  S.  Marquis,  D.D.,  Rock 

Island. 
Mr.  C.  W.  Detwiler,  Aledo. 

IOWA 

Rev.  C.  a.  Highfield,  Hamburg. 
Mr.  C.  W.  Black,  Malvern. 

KANSAS 

Rev.  S.  S.  Estey,  D.D.,  Topeka. 
Mr.  S.  B.  Riggs,  Emporia. 

MINNESOTA 

Rev.    F.    D.    McRae,    Ph.D.,    Blue 

Earth. 
Mr.  W.  a.  Funk,  Mankato. 
Rev.     Chas.     F.     Hubbard,     D.D., 

Minneapolis. 


MICHIGAN 
Rev.  Frederick  W.  Lewis,  Saginaw 
Prof.  B.  W.  Peet,  Ypsilanti. 

MISSOURI 
Rev.George  Reynolds  D.D.,  Kan.sas 

City. 
Mr.  R.  G.  Porter,  Springfield. 

NORTH  DAKOTA 
Rev.  Frank  H.  Newton,  Grandin. 

NEBRASKA 
Rey.  B.  M.  L,ong,  D.D.,  Lincoln. 
Dr.  H.  p.  Sheldon,  Scotts  Bluff. 

NEW  MEXICO 
Rev.     George     W.     Dunlap,     Lae 
Cruces. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA 
Rev.  D.  T.  Kuhn,  Alexandria. 
Mr.  Josiah  Wilson,  Groton. 

TEXAS 
Rev.     Arthur     F.     Bishop,     D.D., 

Austin. 

WISCONSIN 
Rev.  J.  L.  Marquis,  Neenah. 
Mr.  W.  F.  Winchester,  Reedsburg. 


220 


XXXV 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

BY  PROF.  CHARLES  HERRON,  D.D. 

Acts  1 :  6-8;  8:  1-5;  16:  6-12. 

In  the  book  which  has  been  called  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  but 
of  which  in  the  opening  verse  the  author  speaks  in  a  way  which 
would  entitle  us  to  call  it  the  continued  acts  of  the  risen  and  ascended 
Jesus  working  through  His  church,  we  have  a  picture  of  the  early 
church  as  it  set  itself  to  the  conquest  of  the  world  for  Christ.  Euse- 
bius  has  been  called  "Our  Father  of  Church  History,"  but  this  title 
might  rather  be  given  to  Luke,  the  author  of  this  book.  Here  we 
have  not  only  an  inspired  account  of  the  early  years  of  the  Christian 
Church,  but  also  a  history  which  was  made  under  the  direct  guid- 
ance and  control  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  beginning  to  end  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  placed  in  the  foreground, — as  poured  out  upon  the 
church  to  endue  it  with  power, — as  accompanying  the  preached 
word  to  convict  men  of  sin  and  lead  them  to  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, — 
as  filling  the  apostles  with  all^  boldness  and  fidelity,  enabling  them 
to  stand  without  flinching  before  magistrates  for  Christ's  sake, — 
as  giving  to  men  that  new  life,  that  personal  experience  of  Divine 
grace,  out  of  wliich  the  very  witness  to  Christ's  redeeming  power 
might  spring, — as  lapng  upon  them  a  compulsion  to  speak  the  things 
which  they  had  seen  and  heard, — as  so  controling  the  very  perse- 
cution which  arose  as  to  scatter  the  disciples  and  bring  about  the 
wider  preaching  of  the  word, — as  abundantly  vouchsafed  to  those 
who  heard  the  word  in  these  ever  widening  circles  and  making  it 
manifest  that  God's  plan  was  for  their  redemption, — as  guiding  the 
church  in  the  choice  of  missionaries,  sending  them  forth,  opening 
doors  of  opportunity,  leading  to  strategic  points,  and  thus  at  the 
end  sending  the  gospel  to  the  veiy  heart  of  the  ancient  world.  At 
the  close  of  this  book  we  see  the  church  confronting  that  mighty 
mass  of  heathenism,  with  a  profound  sense  of  its  responsibility  and 
its  loins  girded  for  service. 

The  whole  book,  I  say,  was  not  only  written  under  the  guidance 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  the  history  which  was  to  be  written  was  made 
under  the  oversight,  guidance  and  control  of  that  same  Spirit.  Would 
that  the  church  had  ever  continued  to  see,  as  the  early  church  did 
for  years,  that  this  was  to  be  the  great  business  of  the  church, — that 
her  mission  was  to  carry  Christ  to  the  world  as  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation, — that  this  was  to  be  no  side  issue  but  her  central 

221 


222  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

work, — that  it  was  to  be  the  work,  not  of  a  few  as  representatives, 
but  of  the  entire  church, — that  every  man  was  to  be  a  missionary. 
The  story  then  that  could  have  been  written  of  the  church's  progress 
through  the  centuries  would  have  been  a  far  different  one,  and  our 
ascended  Lord  would  not  have  been  kept  waiting  so  long  for  the 
heathen  to  be  given  to  Him  for  His  inheritance  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  His  possession.  Then  would  the  petty  strifes 
and  jealousies,  the  unseemly  wranglings  and  contentions  for  pre- 
eminence, the  bitter  conflicts  over  forms  of  words,  the  things  which 
have  so  marred  the  record,  not  have  had  to  be  written. 

I  turn  to  the  book  of  Acts  to  seize  but  a  few  outstanding  features 
of  the  Holy  Spirit's  guidance  and  control  in  this  great  work  of  mis- 
sions. And  first  of  all,  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  who  gave  to  the  church 
to  understand  its  larger  mission  and  responsibility.  True,  it  was  the 
Master  Himself  who  told  His  followers  that  they  were  to  be  wit- 
nesses of  Him,  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria, 
and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  But  it  was  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  made  them  understand  the  meaning  of  that  command  and 
who  thrust  them  out  into  the  work.  Intent  as  they  were  upon 
preaching  the  word  at  Jerusalem,  great  and  urgent  as  was  the  oppor- 
tunity which  was  there  presented,  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit's  over- 
ruling of  the  very  persecution  which  arose  to  scatter  them  abroad 
throughout  the  regions  of  Judea  and  Samaria,  (save  the  apostles 
who  tarried  at  Jerusalem),  and  who  sent  them  everywhere  preaching 
the  Word.  It  was  the  Spirit  who  filled  them  with  an  earnestness  to 
seize  every  opportunity  to  testify  to  their  crucified,  risen  and  ascended 
Lord,  which  not  alone  made  the  story  of  the  cross  and  resurrection 
familiar,  but  set  forth  its  inner  significance  as  a  living  message  to 
the  inhabitants  of  many  villages  of  Samaria.  It  was  the  Spirit 
poured  out  upon  those  who  heard,  which  made  the  disciples  see  that 
the  gospel  was  not  for  themselves  alone,  but  also  for  those  outside 
the  pale  of  Israel  after  the  flesh.  It  was  an  argument  which  could 
not  be  resisted,  which  made  Peter  see  that  the  gospel  was  for  the 
Gentiles,  when  obeying  the  vision  which  was  given  him  at  Joppa, 
he  went  to  Caesarea  and  there  was  taught  by  the  very  outpoural  of 
the  Spirit  upon  the  gospel  preached  in  the  home  of  Cornelius  that 
God  was  no  respecter  of  persons,  and  that  no  one  could  forbid  water 
that  they  who  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  themselves 
should  be  baptized.  It  was  the  compulsion  of  that  evident  approval 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  gave  Peter's  words  effectiveness  as  he  told 
the  story  at  Jerusalem,  and  not  only  overcame  criticism  and  made 
them  hold  their  peace,  but  also  led  them  to  glorify  God  and  to  say, 
"Then  hath  God  also  unto  the  Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto 
life."  It  was  the  evident  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  labors 
of  those  unknown  disciples  who  went  through  the  villages  of  Samaria 
preaching  the  Word  until  the  apostles  sent  some  of  their  own  num- 
ber to  see  and  confirm  the  marvelous  work  of  grace,  that  made  it 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  223 

manifest  that  it  was  the  Divine  will  that  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
was  not  to  be  confined  to  representative,  ordained  messengers, — im- 
portant as  they  might  be, — but  that  to  each  one  was  conmiitted  a 
like  privilege  and  trust.  The  argument  need  not  be  continued 
farther.  Ere  the  story  of  this  book  closes  you  see  a  quickened, 
aroused,  energized  church, — a  body  of  believers  confronting  the 
great  heathen  world,  intent  on  carrying  to  it  the  tidings  of  Divine 
grace  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  already  penetrating  here  and  there 
with  the  gospel  story.  The  few  hints  that  are  given  only  bring  us 
where  we  may  see  a  church  alive  to  its  duty,  under  the  inspiring 
influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  turn  again  to  the  book,  and  you  will  see  the  Holy  Spirit 
guiding  in  the  choice  0}  special  representatives  w^ho  are  to  go  far  out 
into  the  regions  beyond  and  in  a  special  way  become  heralds  of 
grace.  The  stories  of  Stephen  and  of  Philip  show  that  He  who  in 
the  days  of  His  flesh  called  the  twelve  and  sent  them  forth,  who 
later  called  the  seventy,  was  still  from  the  right  hand  of  the  majesty 
on  high  through  the  Holy  Spirit  guiding  His  church  to  chosen  in- 
struments of  His  grace.  The  story  of  the  marvelous  conversion  of 
Saul  of  Tarsus  and  the  message  given  to  the  questioning  Ananias 
at  Damascus  make  it  manifest  what  God's  purpose  was.  "He  is 
a  chosen  vessel  unto  me  to  bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles  and 
kings  and  the  children  of  Israel."  At  Jerusalem  the  church  was 
later  taught  through  Barnabas  that  same  lesson  concerning  Saul; 
and  they,  learning  of  how  he  had  preached  boldly  at  Damascus 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  hearing  him  speak  boldly  and  with 
great  power  in  that  same  name,  sent  him  forth  with  their 
approval. 

But  the  culmination  of  it  all  became  manifest  in  the  church  at 
Antioch,  which  was  blessed  with  prophets  and  teachers  of  renown, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  said,  "Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the 
work  whereunto  I  have  called  them."  It  was  to  be,  as  it  were, 
a  new  departure  in  missionary  activity — not  that  the  home  land  and 
the  adjacent  regions  had  been  completely  evangelized,  but  that  to 
a  still  wider  circle  the  gospel  was  now  to  be  preached, — that  the 
church,  having  come  to  a  condition  of  greater  ability,  was  now  to 
attempt  greater  things  for  her  asended  Lord;  and  that  chosen  men 
prepared  by  the  manifest  providence  of  God  for  a  special  work  were 
now  to  be  distinctly  set  apart  for  it.  That  was  a  solemn  scene  in 
the  church  at  Antioch,  a  scene  big  with  promise  for  the  heathen 
world,  a  scene  which  should  have  found  far  more  ready  initiation 
throughout  the  centuries  in  the  Christian  church,  when,  having 
fasted  and  prayed  and  laid  their  hands  upon  them,  they  sent  them 
away.  Strikingly  significant  is  the  very  next  statement — as  in  one 
breath  the  story  says,  "They  sent  them  away,"  and  then,  "So  they, 
being  sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto  Seleucia."  The 
story  makes  it  manifest, — that  however  it  may  be  the  duty  of  praying 


224  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

fathers  and  mothers  to  consecrate  from  infancy  their  children,  not 
only  to  the  preaching  of  the  word  but  also  to  the  carrying  of  it  (if 
God  will)  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth;  however  the  church 
may  through  her  varied  activities  seek  out  faithful  men  to  whom 
it  may  commit  the  word  and  on  whom  it  may  lay  holy  hands  of 
ordination,  yet  above  all  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  quicken 
in  the  hearts  of  men  an  intense  desire  to  preach  the  word  where 
it  has  not  yet  been  heard,  and  to  guide  the  church  in  setting  them 
apart  for  that  especial  work.  Would  we  but  put  ourselves  more 
implicity  in  His  hands  for  semce  where  He  wills,  would  we  but  be 
more  open  and  responsible  to  His  calls  within  our  hearts, — would 
we  but  be  more  intent  to  learn  His  will  from  the  very  providences 
by  which  He  has  surrounded  us,  the  gifts  He  has  conferred  upon 
us,  the  capabilities  with  which  He  has  endowed  us, — we  should  doubt- 
less see  a  vastly  increased  number  saying,  "Here  am  I,  send  me," 
and  we  should  not  see  men  remaining  unsent. 

I  have  time  to  touch  on  but  one  more  feature  of  my  theme.  Turn 
to  the  book  and  you  will  find  that  it  was  the  Holy  Spirit  who  guided 
to  fields  of  service.  There  is,  of  course,  the  striking  incident  of 
Philip,  who  from  an  exceedingly  interesting  work  of  grace  in  Samaria, 
was  bidden,  "Arise  and  go  toward  the  south  unto  the  way  that  goeth 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza  which  is  desert."  A  strange  command 
it  would  seem  to  a  man  being  so  abundantly  blessed  in  his  work. 
But  he  obeyed,  and  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch  has  the  word  opened  to 
him  and  carried  its  gracious  message  of  healing  to  his  distant  home. 
It  was  under  the  direct  guidance  of  the  Spirit  that  Peter  was  sent  to 
CcTsarea.  But  in  the  experience  of  no  early  missionary  does  that 
guidance  and  control  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  to  the  place  where  He 
would  have  the  gospel  preached,  appear  more  clearly  than  in  that 
of  Paul.  "They  being  sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed 
unto  Seleucia."  Into  the  very  heart  of  Asia  Minor  they  penetrat-ed 
under  the  guidance  of  that  same  Holy  Ghost,  the  very  blessings 
outpoured  by  Him  evidencing  that  they  were  in  the  line  of  the  ful- 
filment of  His  will.  More  striking  yet,  if  possible,  is  the  narrative 
which  tells  how  on  a  later  missionary  journey,  having  gone  through 
out  Phrygia  and  the  region  of  Galatia,  and  being  forbidden  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  preach  the  Word  in  Asia, — after  they  were  come  to 
Mysia,  they  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia,  but  the  Spirit  suffered  them 
not.  Then  passing  by  Mysia  they  came  to  Troas,  and  to  Paul  at 
night  appeared  that  beseeching  \dsion  which  enabled  him  and  his 
companions  to  assuredly  gather  that  the  Lord  was  calling  them 
to  preach  the  gospel  in  Macedonia.  Read  also  that  striking  series 
of  providences  by  which,  not  in  the  way  of  his  own  planning,  but 
yet  in  a  way  of  Divine  ordering,  the  apostle  was  taken  to  Rome,  and 
there  at  the  very  center  of  manifold  life  and  activity  of  the  ancient 
worl4,  Paul  had  the  opportunity  of  so  preaching  the  gospel  that  the 
story  became  familiar  in  Caesar's  household  and  by  the  soldiers 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AND   FOREIGN  MISSIONS  225 

sent  to  distant  provinces  would  be  carried  far  and  wide.  One  can- 
not read  the  story  of  this  remarkable  series  of  the  providential  over- 
rulings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  without  feeling  that  a  great  campaign  was 
being  marked  out,  that  the  heralds  of  the  cross  were  being  led  to 
strategic  centers,  that  the  gospel  was  being  planted  where  it  would 
become  most  v^dely  influential,  that  from  those  centers  of  activity 
might  go  out,  humbler  heralds  perchance,  but  at  least  devoted  mes- 
sengers upon  whose  labors  would  rest  such  a  benediction  of  the  Spirit 
as  to  make  the  gospel  a  pervasive  influence  ere  many  years  had  rolled 
away. 

Time  forbids  us  to  further  pursue  our  study.  The  history  of 
the  church,  when  she  has  been  intent  upon  fulfilling  the  last  command 
of  her  ascended  Lord,  shows  repeated  illustrations  of  these  great 
principles  of  missions  which  emerge  in  this  inspired  history  of  her 
early  founding.  Not  to  go  further  afield,  the  history  of  our  own 
portion  of  the  church  universal  gives  an  able  exemplification  of  it. 
One  cannot  read  the  enactments  of  early  Synods  and  Assemblies, 
without  seeing  how  the  church  was  being  stirred  to  grasp  this  con- 
ception of  her  mission  as  her  supreme  duty.  It  was  at  the  first 
session  of  the  Synod  of  Pittsburg,  in  what  was  then  a  small  city  at 
the  head  waters  of  the  Ohio,  that  that  body  adopted  a  missionary 
organization  under  a  constitution,  the  first  article  of  which  reads  as 
follows:  "The  Synod  of  Pittsburg  shall  be  styled  the  Western 
Missionary  Society."  That  same  Synod  in  1829  expressed  the  hope 
that  at  no  distant  period  our  church  would  be  in  fact  what  she  was 
intended  to  be  in  the  conception  and  design  of  the  venerable  framers 
of  her  constitution,  "One  great  Missionary  Association."  It  was 
in  1 83 1  that  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  brought  before  our  Assembly  an  over- 
ture in  which  it  was  set  forth  that  "the  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
United  States  is  a  missionary  society,  the  object  of  which  is  to  aid 
in  the  conversion  of  the  world,  and  that  every  member  of  the  church 
is  a  member  for  life  of  said  society  and  bound  in  maintenance  of 
his  Christian  character,  to  do  all  in  liis  power  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  object."  Although  the  explicit  object  of  this  overture 
was  not  successful,  owing  to  a  desire  of  some  to  continue  to  cooperate 
with  an  undenominational  society,  yet  a  conference  was  ordered 
on  measures  to  be  adopted  for  enlisting  the  energies  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  more  extensively  in  the  cause  of  missions  to  the  heathen. 
In  that  same  year  was  organized  the  Western  Foreign  Missionary 
Society,  out  of  which  later  grew  our  church  board,  whose  objects 
were  to  aid  in  fulfilling  the  last  great  command  of  the  glorified  Re- 
deemer, by  conveying  the  gospel  to  whatever  parts  of  the  heathen 
and  anti- Christian  world  the  providence  of  God  may  enable  this 
society  to  extend  its  evangelical  exertions.  And  at  last  in  1839  the 
Assembly  declared,  "That  the  Presbyterian  church  in  these  United 
States,  is  by  its  very  nature  and  condition  a  missionary  society, 
acting  under  the  charter,  by  the  authority,  and  in  obedience  to  the 


226  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

command  of  the  only  Head,  the  Lawgiver  and  King  in  Zion,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

One  cannot  read  the  record  of  those  early  days  without  being 
impressed  by  the  whole  hearted  consecration  of  the  leaders  of  the 
church,  and  by  the  devotion  with  which  they  were  sustained  by 
the  membership  of  the  church  at  large. 

Those  were  not  days  of  easy  access  to  the  heathen  world.  Few 
doors  were  open.  Long  and  dangerous  were  the  voyages.  Many 
were  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  and  great  the  hardships  to  be 
endured.  But  the  church  responded  with  her  sons  and  daughters, 
and  with  gifts  which  now  may  seem  small,  but  were  then  made  out 
of  great  sacrifice.  How  can  we  read  the  plans  of  those  days  wdthout 
being  convinced  that  the  men  at  the  head  of  the  great  undertaking 
were  men  who  had  understanding  of  the  times,  men  fitted  to  grapple 
with  great  problems,  men  who  took  the  statesman's  view  of  the 
world-wide  work,  and  were  ready  to  seize  on  any  strategic  oppor- 
tunity. Read,  if  you  will,  how  they  followed  to  Africa  those  who  had 
been  liberated  from  slavery  and  returned  to  the  land  of  their  fathers. 
See  how,  pushing  along  the  coast,  they  sought  to  gain  a  foot- 
hold at  strategic  points,  ever  looking  inland  for  enlarged  opportunity. 
Take  the  story  of  our  earliest  missionaries  to  India,  sent  at  the  very 
outstart  into  the  far  inland  region  of  the  Punjab,  v/here  they  might 
not  only  be  in  the  midst  of  a  teeming  population,  but  be  ready  to 
push  into  the  mountain  fastnesses  and  beyond  when  the  door  of 
opportunity  should  open.  See  them  taking  possession  of  the  straits 
south  of  Siam,  preparing  their  men  for  entrance  to  China  when  that 
sealed  empire  should  be  opened  for  entrance.  See  them  alert  for 
the  first  opportunity  to  get  into  Japan.  But  I  need  not  try  to  tell 
the  story  farther.  There  is  enough  in  it  not  only  to  stir  our  hearts 
with  admiration  for  the  fathers, — ay,  and  the  mothers  too, — and 
to  fire  our  own  blood  with  desire  to  be  fit  to  wear  their  mantle,  but 
also  to  convince  us  that  they  were  moved  and  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Not  otherwise  can  we  explain  their  large  hearted  planning 
and  devotion. 

Once  again  the  gales  of  the  Spirit  are  sweeping  through  the 
church,  moving  the  hearts  of  men  and  bringing  them  face  to  face 
with  a  great  responsibility  and  a  great  opportunity.  With  a  mar- 
velous spontaneity  and  unanimity  of  movement  this  great  gathering 
of  men  has  come  together  in  what  a  half-century  ago  was  missionary 
territory,  the  first  assemblage  of  its  kind  in  historic  Christendom,  a 
gathering  largely  of  laity,  not  as  organized  representatives  of  the 
churches  but  as  individual  members  thereof,  to  consider  the  immi- 
nent duty  in  foreign  missions.  The  moment  is  fraught  with  pro- 
foundly significant  issues.  We  stand  face  to  face  with  our  duty 
as  it  has  never  been  presented  to  us  before.  Shall  we  go  forward 
witlv  Carey's  motto,  "Attempt  great  things  for  God,  expect  great 
things  from  God?"     Is  it  to  be  this  afternoon,  standing  on  the  supreme 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  227 

eminence  of  this  convention,  more  than  the  mere  adoption  of  reso- 
lutions, stirring  as  they  may  be?  Or  rather  shall  it  be  the  vision 
kindling,  the  intellect  catching  a  new  outlook,  the  heart  warming 
with  a  new  devotion,  the  will  being  afresh  consecrated  to  a  larger 
undertaking,  and  then  our  going  forth,  not  with  a  mere  series  of 
adopted  resolutions,  but  with  resolution  to  do  a  definite  thing  for 
Christ?  To  map  out  the  field,  to  decide  on  our  own  responsibility, 
to  give  ourselves  to  the  imperative  duty  of  the  hour.  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  led  us  to  this  hour  for  this  very  thing.  May  He  lead 
us  to  a  new  measure  of  giving,  of  service,  of  going,  to  carry  Christ 
to  a  waiting  world. 


XXXVI 
RECOMMENDATIONS  ADOPTED 

On  the  first  evening  of  the  convention,  shortly  after  the  body 
was  called  to  order,  the  convention  created  a  committee  of  thirty 
picked  men,  half  of  them  laymen,  to  consider  the  facts  brought 
before  the  convention,  relative  to  the  distinct  Foreign  Missionary 
responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian  church  for  the  unevangelized 
heathen  world.  This  committee  was  to  bring  before  the  Congress 
on  Thursday  afternoon  certain  recommendations  pertaining  to  the 
above,  which  that  body  might  discuss,  deliberate  over  and  pass 
judgment  upon.  The  proceedings  of  the  Congress  are  found  in 
the  next  chapter,  but  the  Recommendations  as  finally  adopted  by 
the  Congress  are  here  presented : 

The  following  Recommendations  were  made  by  the  Inter-Synod- 
ical  Foreign  Missionary  Convention  for  Men,  Omaha,  Neb.,  Feb. 
21,  1907 : — 

Wc,  men  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  gathered  in  Inter- Synodical  Convention  of  more  than  one 
thousand  delegates,  profoundly  impressed  with  the  goodness  of  God 
in  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  Savior  of  the  world,  filled  with 
wonder  over  the  triumphs  of  the  gospel  in  non- Christian  lands  during 
the  last  one  hundred  years,  touched  by  the  appeals  which  come  to 
us  for  the  light  of  life  from  lands  without  Christ,  and  conscious  of 
the  solemn  responsibilities  laid  upon  us  by  the  rich  blessings  of 
God,  temporal  and  spiritual,  which  we  enjoy,  do  hereby  adopt  the 
following  as  the  deliberate  expression  of  our  privilege  and  duty  in 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord : 

I.  It  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  for  men  that  the  number 
of  human  beings  in  non-Christian  lands,  for  which  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  the  United  States  of  America,  is  directly  responsible  in 
the  work  of  evangelization  in  this  generation,  is  approximately 
100,000,000  souls,  being  distributed  as  follows:  Mexico,  2,500,000; 
Central  America,  500,000;  South  America,  10,000,000;  Japan, 
4,000,000;  Korea,  6,000,000;  China,  40,000,000:  Siam  and  Laos, 
5,000,000;  India,  18,000,000;  Persia,  5,000,000;  Turkey,  2,000,000; 
Africa,  5,000,000;  Philippines,  2,000,000. 

II.  It  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  that  the  force  of  Pres- 
byterian Foreign  Missionaries,  Native  Pastors,  Bible  Women  and 
Teachers,  ought  to  be  increased  in  the  immediate  future  until  it 
reaches  the  number  of  one  American  foreign  missionary  and  five 
traine'd  native  workers  (or  their  equivalent)  for  each  25,000  un- 

228 


RECOMMENDATIONS  ADOPTED  229 

evangelized  people  now  in  non-Christian  lands,  providentially  allotted 
to  the  Presbyterian  church,  for  evangelization.  This  would  mean 
for  the  Presbyterian  church,  United  States  of  America,  4,000  Ameri- 
can Missionaries,  or  about  five  times  as  many  as  we  now  have. 

III.  It  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  for  men  that  it  will  cost 
not  less  than  $6,000,000  a  year  to  fully  meet  the  great  responsibility 
outlined  above,  and  we  therefore  set  ourselves  resolutely  to  the  work 
of  bringing  the  Foreign  Missionary  offerings  of  our  church  up  to 
this  mark. 

IV.  In  the  judgment  of  this  convention  it  will  be  necessary,  in 
order  to  raise  the  funds  required  for  the  discharge  of  our  missionary 
obligations,  for  every  church  to  adopt  a  missionary  policy  embody- 
ing the  following  principles  and  methods: 

OUR  MISSIONARY  POLICY 

1.  It  is  the  mission  of  the  whole  church  to  give  the  gospel  to  the 
whole  world. 

2.  This  entire  church  being  a  missionary  society,  each  member 
of  the  body  is  under  covenant  to  help  fulfill  the  will  of  the  Head, — 
to  give  the  gospel  to  every  creature. 

3.  Every  Christian  is  commanded  to  "go."  If  not  in  person, 
then  potentially,  having  a  share  by  gift  and  prayer,  in  supporting 
a  parish  abroad,  as  well  as  the  parish  at  home. 

4.  Our  giving  should  be  an  act  of  worship  (Proverbs  3:9); 
cheerful  (2  Cor.  9:7);  and  according  to  the  rule  of  three  (i  Cor. 
16: 2).  Individually,  systematically  and  proportionately.  "Let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  as 
God  hath  prospered  him." 

OUR  MISSIONARY  METHODS 

1.  Let  Synods  and  Presbyteries,  through  their  foreign  mission- 
ary committees,  labor  to  have  their  church  adopt  this  missionary 
policy. 

2.  Let  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  in  consultation  with  the 
Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Chairmen,  and  such  laymen  as  the 
board  may  select,  annually  lay  before  the  General  Assembly  a  state- 
ment of  the  amount  needed  for  the- ensuing  year  and  a  suggested 
apportionment  of  said  amount  among  the  various  synods  and  presby- 
teries, not  as  an  assessment,  but  as  a  definite  share  of  the  responsibility. 

3.  Let  every  church  prayerfully  assume  its  share  of  this  respon- 
sibility, which  may  be  represented  by  a  sum  of  money  which  ade- 
quately represents  the  church's  financial  ability;  or  by  "A  Parish 
Abroad,"  which  represents  as  much  money  as  the  church  can  con- 
tribute to  this  work;  or  by  the  salary  of  one  or  more  foreign  mis- 
sionaries. 

4.  Let  the  subscription  method  be  set  in  operation  by  the  Ses- 
sion of  the  church,  by  which  every  member  shall  be  reached  and 


230  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

given  opportunity  to  express  his  love  for  souls  and  loyalty  to  Christ 
by  a  weekly,  monthly,  quarterly  or  annual  offering  to  this  cause. 

V.  While  we  recognize  that  the  ability  of  churches  and  individuals 
varies,  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  that  each  of  our  churches 
should  strive  to  attain  an  average  of  five  dollars  a  member  for  Foreign 
Missions  (10  cents  a  week),  and  we  hereby  urge  the  foreign  com- 
mittees of  our  synods  and  presbyteries  and  sessions  to  seek  to  secure 
that  result  and  pledge  our  own  best  efforts  to  raise  that  average  in 
our  own  churches. 

VI.  Recognizing  that  the  successful  accomplishment  of  this  pro- 
ject involves  not  only  the  expenditure  of  wealth,  but  also  of  lives, 
we  set  ourselves  to  pray  that  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  may  choose  to 
send  consecrated  men  and  women  into  this  work  of  foreign  missions 
in  sufficient  numbers  to  secure  the  evangelization  of  the  world  in 
this  generation. 


XXXVII 
IN  THE  MISSION  CONGRESS 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON,  FEBRUARY  21,  I907. 

Rev.  W.  S.  Marquis,  D.D.,  chairman  of  the  Inter-Synodical 
Committee  appointed  by  the  convention  to  prepare  recommenda- 
tions on  the  distinct  Foreign  Missionary  responsibility  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  submitted  the  recommendations  of  the  Committee. 
(See  page  228  for  Recommendations.) 

On  motion  the  recommendations  of  the  committee  were  taken 
up  seriatim. 

It  was  moved  to  adopt  Recommendation  No.  I.  The  Recom- 
mendation is  as  follows: 

*Tt  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  for  men  that  the  number 
of  human  beings  in  non- Christian  lands,  for  which  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  the  United  States  of  America  is  directly  responsible  in  the 
work  of  evangelization  in  this  generation,  is  approximately  100,000,- 
000  souls,  being  distributed  as  follows: 

Mexico 2,500,000  Siam,  Laos 5,000,000 

Central  America 500,000  India 18,000,000 

South  America 10,000,000  Persia 5,000,000 

Japan 4,000,000  Turkey 2,000,000 

Korea 6,000,000  Africa 5,000,000 

China 40,000,000  Philippines 2,000,000 


100,000,000 

Delegate:  "By  what  method  did  the  committee  reach  these 
figures?" 

Secretary,  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D.:  "You  will  remember  the  other 
day  that  Mr.  Speer  said  that  we  had  gone  practically  over  this,  and 
that  we  have  written  to  our  missions  asking  them  to  verify  these 
figures.  One  of  the  methods  by  which  this  conclusion  was  arrived 
at,  was  by  calculating  the  number  of  our  missionaries  on  the  field, 
and  their  number  of  mission  workers, — native  and  foreign, —  and 
the  amount  of  equipment  they  have  and  the  number  of  stations, 
then  approximating  how  many  of  the  unevangelized  within  that 
given  area  are  being  reached  or  could  be  reached,  or  belonged  to 
the  other  stations.  Take  Persia,  for  instance,  Mr.  Jordan  could 
tell  you  how  many  are  at  work  in  Persia.  It  has  been  arrived  at 
by  a  system  of  careful  work  and  study,  but  it  is  only  approximate."  sL/ 

Dr.  Wherry  of  India:     "Eighteen  million    is    an    exceptionally  /\. 

231  .  ' 


232  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

conservative  estimate  in  my  judgment  for  India.  I  think  it  is  more 
than  that,  but  perhaps  as  a  working  basis  it  is  very  fair.  But  there 
is  an  element  that  must  be  remembered  in  this;  there  are  25,000,000 
people  for  whom  our  church  is  responsible.  However  we  have  a 
church  already  established  in  India  which  gives  us  a  strength,  per- 
haps, which  does  not  belong  to  some  of  the  newer  missions;  and  we 
have  several  missions  which  are  already  established  there,  which 
have  their  own  Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Societies  to  carry 
on  missionary  work  in  India;  so  I  think  that  18,000,000  is  a  very 
conservative  estimate  for  India.  I  wish  to  say  just  here,  that  if 
we  are  going  to  reach  this  vast  number  of  people  in  India,  we  must 
remember  that  we  will  have  to  send  there  a  class  of  men  that  will 
be  able  to  meet  the  situation.  It  is  not  only  18,000,000  of  heathen, 
but  there  are  18,000,000  of  others  that  have  in  a  degree  been  in- 
structed by  intelligent  men,  and  now  draw  wages  of  intelligent  men, 
and  who  are  organized  into  societies  antagonistic  to  our  work,  societies 
which  are  establishing  agencies  for  the  training  of  their  workers  in 
the  Mohammedan  religion  and  therefore  we  must  look  about  us  for 
the  class  of  men  to  fight  in  India." 

Dr.  Laughlin  of  California:  "Let  us  vote  on  that  recommenda- 
tion." 

Recommendation  No.  I  adopted. 

Recommendation  No.  II  was  read.  Moved  and  seconded  that 
the  Recommendation  be  adopted.  The  Recommendation  is  as 
follows : 

"It  is  the  judgment  of  this  convention  that  the  force  of  Presby- 
terian Foreign  Missionaries,  Native  Pastors,  Bible  Women  and 
Teachers,  ought  to  be  increased  in  the  immediate  future  until  it 
reaches  the  number  of  one  American  foreign  missionary  and  five 
trained  native  workers  (or  their  equivalent)  for  each  25,000  un- 
evangelized  people  now  in  non-Christian  lands,  providentially  allotted 
to  the  Presbyterian  church  for  evangelization.  This  would  mean 
for  the  Presbyterian  church,  United  States  of  America,  4,000  Ameri- 
can Missionaries,  or  about  five  times  as  many  as  we  now  have." 

Dr.  Halsey:  "I  wonder  whether  there  would  be  any  objection 
to  inserting  the  word  'non-Christian'  instead  of  the  word  'heathen.' 
It  covers  the  ground  and  there  is  a  certain  stigma  attached  to  the 
word  'heathen,'  and  we  want,  if  possible  to  be  very  fair  and  very 
just.  What  we  are  trying  to  reach  is  the  non- Christian.  I  do  not 
want  to  enter  into  a  discussion,  but  I  merely  suggest  that  if  we 
insert  the  word  'non-Christian'  it  would  sound  better." 

Delegate:  "May  I  ask  whether  in  that  same  connection,  we 
could  not  leave  out  the  word  'Mohammedan'  as  well  as  'heathen.'  " 

Mr.  Best:  "I  would  like  to  ask  whether  we  should  speak  of 
Mexico,  South  America,  etc.,  as  wholly  non-Christian?" 

Delegate:  "I  wonder  if  Mr.  Best  has  ever  been  in  South  America?" 

Mr.  Best:     "No,  I  have  not." 


IN   THE   MISSION    CONGRESS  233 

Delegate:     "I  think  if  he  had,  the  question  would  be  answered." 

Dr.  George  Alexander:  "The  editor  of  a  paper  in  Rio  De  Janeiro 
said  to  me,  "One  of  the  saddest  things  about  my  people  is  that  they 
are  so  miserable,  when  they  might  be  so  happy,  and  the  cause  of 
their  misery  is  their  lack  of  religion.  They  call  themselves  Catholics, 
but  the  heathen  are  not  less  Christian." 

Mr.  Ross:  "I  move  that  we  substitute  the  word  'non-Christian' 
for  the  words  'heathen  and  Mohammedan.'  " 

Dr.  Wherry:     "I  second  the  motion.     We  cannot  sing  the  second        ""^^^ 
verse  of  the  missionary  hymn  in  India,  because  it  says,  'Only  man        .-^^x 
is  vile.     The  heathen  in  his  blindness,  etc'  " 

Moderator:  "The  motion  is  that  we  substitute  the  word  'non- 
Christian'  instead  of  the  words,  'heathen  and  Mohammedan.'  " 
Motion  carried. 

Mr.  Fitch  of  China:  "I  believe  that  the  number  of  native  men 
in  the  missionary  field  is  entirely  inadequate,  especially  for  holding 
and  establishing  work.  There  is  no  better  way  to  evangelize  the 
heathen  world  than  by  a  liberal  use  of  the  natives  where  they  live, 
and  the  proportion  is  entirely  inadequate  for  the  best  evangelization 
of  the  country.  This  may  be  proper  in  an  entirely  new  field  where 
they  have  to  train  up  helpers  from  the  raw  material,  but  for  old 
fields  it  is  insufficient.  " 

Dr.  Wherry  of  India:  "It  was  my  privilege  to  be  present  at  a 
meeting  held  in  India  in  the  interest  of  Foreign  Missions,  when  I 
also  had  the  opportunity  of  reading  a  small  report  on  the  work  done 
in  West  India.  At  that  time  our  request  was  to  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  that  they  send  us  one  man  and  at  least  one  single  lady 
for  at  least  every  50,000  of  the  population.  When  we  put  that  on 
paper,  it  seemed  to  us  a  proposition  that  would,  in  a  measure,  seem 
chimerical  to  the  church  at  home.  According  to  that  estimate  we 
would  have  had  to  ask  for  a  mission  force  of  360  missionaries  instead  of 
the  force  of  about  sixty  at  the  present.  In  other  words  it  was  asking 
the  board  to  increase  our  force  by  some  three  hundred  missionaries. 
One  missionary  to  about  every  twenty-five  thousand  will  about 
meet  the  average." 

Moderator:  "The  question  is  called  for.  All  in  favor  of  this 
recommendation  as  amended; — the  amendment  being  that  instead 
of  the  words  'heathen  and  Mohammedan'  we  substitute  'non- Chris- 
tian' make  known  by  the  usual  sign."     Carried. 

Moderator:  "We  have  adopted  Recommendation  No.  II. 
Now  I  want  to  say  if  you  will  permit  me,  that  we  should  not  rush 
through  this  business.  We  should  have  a  most  careful  discussion 
and  consideration  of  the  next  recommendation. 

A  reconsideration  of  the  first  recommendation  was  ordered.  It 
was  moved  to  make  the  same  change  in  Recommendation  No.  I  as 
in  No.  II. 

Delegate:     "It  seems  to  me  that  this  whole  matter  of  phraseology 


234  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

might  be  safely  re-committed;  there  are  other  matters  which  are 
much  more  practically  important  than  spending  more  time  for  dis- 
cussion. I  move  that  the  matter  of  phraseology  be  re-committed 
to  the  parties  who  have  the  matter  in  charge."     Motion  carried. 

Moderator:     "We  will  take  up  the  third  Recommendation." 

Third  Recommendation  was  read,  and  is  as  follows: 

"It  is  the  judgment  of  this  Convention  for  Men  that  it  will  cost 
not  less  than  $6,000,000  a  year  to  fully  meet  the  great  responsibility 
outlined  above,  and  we  therefore  set  ourselves  resolutely  to  the  work 
of  bringing  the  Foreign  Missionary  offerings  of  our  church  up  to 
this  mark." 

A  motion  was  made  to  adopt  the  same. 

Delegate:  "It  seems  to  me,  in  connection  with  this  appro- 
priation of  six  millions  that  the  church  is  asking  in  what  way  they 
might  fulfill  their  obligations,  and  some  of  these  churches  might 
be  asking  how  much  it  would  cost  to  have  trained  and  intelligent 
workers,  and  what  might  be  the  average  cost  for  the  missionary 
board.  Now  if  we  can  go  back  to  our  fields  with  some  information 
of  this  kind,  it  might  be  valuable  to  us." 

Dr.  S.  A.  Moffett  of  Korea:  "I  am  certainly  not  going  to  see 
this  or  any  other  convention  put  this  through  without  realizing  what 
it  means,  and  facing  it,  and  every  man  who  votes  for  it  believing  it 
with  all  his  heart.  In  one  of  the  addresses  made  yesterday,  some- 
one suggested  that  it  was  easy  enough  to  pass  resolutions,  and  so 
it  is,  but  if  this  convention  simply  passes  this  without  realizing  what 
it  means,  then  it  counts  for  nothing.  Are  we  ready  as  men,  each 
one  individually,  who  votes  for  this,  to  give  our  share  of  the  six 
million  dollars?  If  we  are  not,  it  strikes  me  that  no  man  has  a 
right  to  vote  on  that  question  in  the  affirmative.  If  we  are,  then 
each  man  must  go  back  to  his  church  and  say,  'I  am  going  to  give 
my  share  of  the  six  millions,  and  I  want  to  do  it.'  But  I  should  be 
very  sorry  indeed,  brethren,  to  see  this  resolution  passed  upon  and 
voted  for  unless  we  mean  it,  for  we  set  back  the  movement  if  we  pass 
it  and  do  not  help  to  pay  it  and  enforce  it,  each  one  individually, 
and  I  hope  every  man  who  has  not  reached  this  conviction  and  is 
not  willing  to  give  his  share  of  this  will  vote  'No.'  " 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  there  ought  to  be  added  to  this 
recommendation,  'We  individually  pledge  ourselves  to  contribute 
our  full  share  of  this  along  the  line  of  item  four  under  our  missionary 
policy.'  " 

Dr.  J.  C.  Miller  of  Kansas:  "I  think  there  was  a  layman  about 
to  make  a  speech  a  minute  ago,  that  might  fit  in  pretty  well  here; 
and  I  wish  he  would  make  his  speech  and  make  mine  too." 

Mr.  Thomas  Darnall  (The  layman  referred  to):  "That  might 
be  kind,  but  maybe  when  I  have  said  what  I  am  going  to  say  my 
brother  won't  agree  that  it  was  his  speech.  I  was  going  to  say 
that*  while  before  God  I  would  agree,  in  the  presence  of  this  body, 


IN  THE  MISSION  CONGRESS  233 

to  do  what  little  I  can,  I  said  the  ship  was  leaking.  I  was  thinking 
of  Dr.  Bradt's  home  city,  Chicago,  with  her  seven  thousand  saloons, 
that  could  on  a  conservati^'e  estimate  put  seventy  thousand  mis- 
sionaries into  the  field.  Dr.  Bradt,  if  this  city  of  Omaha,  with  her 
250  saloons,  would  put  a  conservative  estimate  of  what  comes  from 
the  traffic  every  year,  you  could  send  2,500  missionaries  to  the  foreign 
field.  If  this  country  of  ours,  with  her  great  number  of  saloons, 
would  put  a  conservative  estimate  of  what  could  be  done,  with  the 
power  of  God,  we  could  send  three  million  one  hundred  thousand 
missionaries  to  the  foreign  field.  Now,  brethren,  I  for  one  will 
agree  with  whatever  power  God  has  given  me,  to  stop  the  leakage; 
and  in  the  name  of  my  church  I  agree  to  do  all  I  can  to  help  stop  it. 
I  protest  in  the  name  of  my  country,  whose  stars  and  stripes  we  see 
here,  I  protest  in  the  name  of  this  great  missionary  body,  I  protest 
in  the  name  of  the  living  God,  who  wrote  with  His  finger  on  the 
Table  of  Stone,  'Thou  shalt  not  kill,'  and  yet  more  than  7,000 
murders  every  year  are  committed  by  reason  of  the  liquor  traffic." 

Rev.  Perry  V.  Jenness:  "This  is  the  most  important  section 
of  these  recommendations,  and  I  move  you,  before  the  vote  is  taken, 
that  we  spend  five  minutes  in  prayer,  and  that  the  vote  be  immedi- 
ately taken  after  we  have  thus  spent  the  time  before  God,  every 
man  face  to  face  with  his  own  individual  responsibility." 

Delegate:  "I  second  the  motion  that  we  spend  five  minutes  in 
prayer  and  take  the  vote  immediately  following,  by  rising." 

The  motion  with  regard  to  the  prayer  service  with  rising  vote, 
carried. 

Delegate:  'T  believe  as  much  I  think,  as  any  one,  in  this  work, 
but  the  question  in  my  mind,  and  of  a  good  many  churches,  is  going 
to  be  this:  How  are  we  going  to  reach  in  one  campaign  this  point? 
— the  difference  between  one  million  and  six.  For  instance,  making 
a  personal  reference  to  my  own  church,  we  are  trying  to  do  our 
duty;  we  have  increased  our  offering  some  two  to  three  hundred 
per  cent,  but  how  are  we  going  to  increase  it  up  to  where  it  vdll  be 
necessary  to  meet  this?  It  is  easy  to  talk  here,  it  is  easy  to  vote 
for  six  million  dollars,  but  the  question,  it  seems  to  me,  earnestly, 
ought  to  be  three  million  instead  of  six, — going  all  the  way.  I 
believe  we  have  gone  practically  about  it  in  po  ve^  and  effect." 

Delegate:  "I  have  been  considering  this  matter  very  carefully. 
I  speak  for  the  one  church  I  represent.  I  think  with  Mr.  Speer, 
as  he  said  the  other  day,  'Are  we  going  to  vote  to  raise  this  money, 
and  if  we  do  vote  for  it,  what  are  we  going  to  do  about  it?'  I  agree 
with  Dr.  Moffett,  if  we  vote  for  these  recommendations  without  a 
full  knowledge  and  realization  of  the  responsibility,  and  a  definite 
time  as  to  when  we  carry  them  into  effect,  we  more  injure  the  spirit 
of  Christ  and  the  work  of  Christ  as  to  Christian  missions  than  we 
do  them  good.  It  has  been  said  here  that  we  should  do  so  much  in 
the  next  period  of  five  years,  and  so  much  more  in  the  succeeding 


236  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

period  of  five  years.  Let  us  give  ourselves  10  years  to  raise  this 
$6,000,000  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, — give  ourselves  time  to 
reach  the  mark.  We  are  loitering  by  the  wayside  and  plucking 
the  flowers  by  the  roadside,  and  we  must  press  toward  the  mark 
for  the  prize  of  our  high  calling,  and  do  the  work  set  for  us  to  do." 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  I  move  the  insertion  of  these  words  in 
paragraph  3:  'Giving  ourselves  ten  years  to  accomplish  the  above 
result.'  " 

Moderator:  "There  is  a  motion  before  the  house  that  we  give 
ourselves  ten  years  to  accomplish  this." 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  I  was  going  to  suggest  that  if  we 
adopt  that  amendment  we  might  just  as  well  adjourn  for  about 
seven  years.  (Applause.)  We  would  not  do  a  thing  nor  any  hust- 
ling until  the  last  two  or  three  years.  I  believe  if  we  would  reach 
this  mark  that  we  must  set  ourselves  to  immediate  work  and  rise  to 
that  point  just  as  soon  as  we  can.  We  have  expected  God  to  bear 
the  burden  and  you  and  I  ought  to  have  been  bearing  it  for  the  last 
ten  years." 

Dr.  J.  D.  Jeffrey  of  Detroit:  "I  think  there  is  one  thing  we  are 
forgetting  in  the  raising  of  this  six  million.  No  one  of  us  is  going 
to  give  this  six  million.  We  act  here  as  if  we  were  going  to  do  some- 
thing large  and  brave.  I  do  not  know,  brethren,  if  we  have  any 
idea  of  giving  about  a  cent  or  a  cent  and  a  half  a  day  as  something 
large  and  great;  it  is  something  that  astonishes  me.  Is  our  church 
so  small  and  so  little  that  we  have  no  faith  in  our  effort  that  we  will 
come  forward  to  do  such  a  thing  as  this?  It  appears  to  me  that  we 
have  been  accomplishing  absolutely  nothing,  if  after  all  of  our 
teaching  and  preaching,  our  people  will  not  come  to  the  front  and 
pay  their  cent  and  a  half  a  day  in  a  cause  like  this.  I  am  glad  Dr. 
Moffett  said  what  he  did.  But  at  the  same  time,  when  we  talk 
about  large  things,  let  us  understand  that  it  is  simply  large  by  com- 
parison; that  it  is  not  really  large;  that  it  is  rather  small;  that  it  is 
little,  brethren,  and  it  is  insignificant.  I  do  not  think  that  our 
Presbyterian  church  is  doing  anything  large  this  afternoon.  I  do 
not  think  that.  I  think  everyone  of  us,  if  we  start-  forward  and 
vote  for  this  six  million  dollars,  will  undertake  to  secure  it.  Why, 
this  is  not  an  ordinary  convention;  it  is  not  made  up  of  ordinary 
men;  it  is  made  up  of  men  who  will  take  their  proportion  of  the 
burden.  The  proportion  of  some  of  us  will  be  that  we  will  propose 
to  give  ten  times  as  much  as  v/e  have  given  in  days  that  are  gone  by. 
I  do  not  know  whether  we  will  reach  that;  but  it  seems  to  me  that 
there  is  a  Lord  in  the  heavens,  and  that  there  is  a  God  up  there, 
I  would  like  to  say  in  connection  with  it,  that  it  is  not  by  word  of 
mouth  that  this  has  been  planned  for  the  Presbyterian  church; 
but  I  feel  like  Elisha,  only  that  Elijah  was  sweeping  away  from  him, 
and  in  this  connection  God  is  looking  dowTi  over  me  and  it  is  this 
way  with  me,  'My  Father,  My  Father,  the  chariots  of  Israel  and 


IN   THE   MISSION    CONGRESS  237 

the  horsemen  thereof!'  I  believe  you  and  I  my  brethren  will  be 
able  to  say,  'Where  is  the  Lord  God  of  Elijah !'  and  Jordan  will 
go  back  and  we  shall  go  through  on  dry  land,  yea,  not  even  wetting 
the  sandals  of  our  feet." 

Dr.  F.  W.  Hawley:  "The  matter  of  Foreign  Missions  is  a  practi- 
cal question.  We  close  our  church  year  the  last  of  March.  •  If 
we  adopt  this  resolution  and  raise  six  million  dollars  the  coming 
year,  will  the  board  be  able  to  use  it?  I  would  like  to  ask  the  chair- 
man whether  you  have  got  the  thirty-two  hundred  men  and  the  five 
native  workers  to  each  one." 

Secretary  A.  W.  Halsey:  'T  will  tell  you  where  some  of  it  can 
go.  Dr.  Brown  came  into  the  office  the  other  day  with  a  lot  of 
requests  from  his  stations,  and  he  says  every  request  should  be 
granted,  and  these  requests  aggregate  between  two  hundred  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Speer  has  another. 
There  is  at  least  half  a  million  of  dollars  that  could  be  disposed  of 
right  off,  and  that  is  simply  for  equipment  that  we  need." 

Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan  of  Persia:  "We  would  like  to  have  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  for  new  property,  and  beyond  that,  we 
would  want  to  do  some  building  on  the  property  when  we  got  it, 
so  we  Vv'ili  be  able  to  use  a  vast  increase.  A  point  I  would  suggest 
on  this  is  that  we  are  not  expecting,  possibly  we  have  not  faith  enough 
to  expect,  that  we  will  get  the  six  million  dollars  this  year,  but  we 
are  hoping  to  work  up  to  it  within  a  short  time.  If  you  give  us 
three  million  next  year  we  will  be  glad." 

Delegate:  "If  we  would  raise  the  six  millions  this  coming  year 
there  are  not  men  enough  to  go  to  the  field  next  year  to  cover  this 
six  million  dollars.  I  would  like  to  suggest  something  like  this: 
Make  six  million  dollars  our  mark,  increase  our  offering  at  least  one 
million  dollars  each  year  until  our  annual  offering  is  six  million 
dollars." 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  as  I  understand  it,  we  have  already 
accepted  Resolution  No.  II,  which  practically  confines  us  to  the 
adoption  of  Resolution  No.  III.  As  I  understand  the  resolution  it 
simply  says  in  the  first  instance,  that  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  con- 
ference that  it  will  cost  not  less  than  six  million  dollars  to  carry  out 
Resolution  No.  II.  I  believe  that  that  is  the  judgment  of  this  con- 
ference. I  believe  that  that  is  a  very  sober  judgment,  and  it  simply 
means  that  we  set  ourselves  strictly  to  work  to  carry  out  that  reso- 
lution which  we  have  already  adopted  in  Resolution  No.  III.  Now 
why  shouldn't  we?  This  resolution  in  No.  Ill  is  all  right,  just  as 
it  stands." 

Rev.  S.  C.  Black  of  Clinton,  111.:  "I  am  ready  to  support  this 
resolution  for  two  reasons:  In  the  first  place,  this  resolution  does 
not  commit  us  to  the  raising  of  six  million  dollars  any  individual 
year.  I  am  ready  to  put  my  life  and  my  powers  into  an  effort  to 
bring  the  Presbyterian  church  up  to  the  ideal.     I  am  led  to  feel  that 


238  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRIS 

we  have  been  too  slow  in  asking  the  church  to  rise  up  to  this  lofty 
height.  I  have  never  been  rebuked  but  once  by  the  church  to  which 
I  have  administered,  but  I  have  been  rebuked  once.  Only  a  few 
months  ago  I  asked  the  church  of  v;hich  I  am  pastor  to  raise  upon 
the  Sabbath  day  a  thousand  dollars  for  foreign  missions,  and  they 
raised  $1,300.  We  were  ready  to  authorize  the  board  of  New  York 
to  put  down  Clinton  Presbyterian  church  for  $1,300.  I  said  to'my 
people,  'You  have  rebuked  me.  I  will  see  to  it  that  hereafter  I 
ask  you  for  enough.'  Brethren  we  are  ready  to  respond  to  this 
motion.  Let  us  get  it  before  our  people  in  a  way  that  they  can 
understand  and  grasp.  When  such  men  as  our  present  secretaries 
put  a  proposition  clean-cut,  untrammeled  by  any  other  matter 
before  the  people,  especially  before  the  men  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  they  are  willing  to  rise  up  and  give  what  we  ask  for.  I 
could  pledge  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clinton  to-day,  yes,  I  am 
ready  to  pledge  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clinton  for  our  full  share 
in  the  six  million  dollars  next  year,  if  you  ask  it." 

Dr.  Bradt:  "I  am  going  to  say  a  word  on  this  if  you  will  let 
me.  I  am  not  a  secretary,  I  am  just  an  assistant  secretary,  and  I 
will  tell  you  what  I  will  do:  I  will  take  the  responsibility  of  finding 
men  on  the  foreign  field,  from  Moderator  Corbett  down,  who  can 
spend  six  million  dollars  judiciously  to  the  extension  of  God's  king- 
dom within  the  next  thirty  days.  (Cheers.)  Dr.  Corbett  told  me 
the  other  day  that  he  needed  immediately,  one  millon  dollars  in 
Shantung  Province.  Well,  Shantung  Province  has  about  thirty 
milhons  of  people  in  it.  We  have  got  eighteen  millions  in  India: 
we  have  five  millions  in  Africa;  we  have  four  millions  in  Japan;  Mr. 
Jordan,  who  spoke,  has  just  been  pleading  in  my  ear  for  the  last 
three  months  for  a  Christian  college  in  Persia,  which  needs  a  million 
dollars  right  away.  Mr.  Rockefeller  gave  thirty-two  million  dollars 
the  other  day  for  education  in  the  United  States.  If  we  need  edu- 
cation in  the  United  States  with  our  finely  equipped  public  schools, 
our  state  universities,  our  magnificently  equipped  educational  insti- 
tutions, if  we  are  willing  to  ask  money  and  take  it  for  educational 
purposes  in  this  country,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  thousand  million,  or 
the  one  hundred  millions  of  people,  in  the  heathen  lands,  for  whom 
our  church  is  responsible,  who  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  a  school 
system,  much  less  Christian  schools?  That  may  seem  exaggerated, 
but  comparatively  it  is  true.  Let  us  have  done  with  quibbling  and 
asking  questions  about  ability  to  use  the  resources  God  has  given 
us  to  use.  Let  us  be  up  and  doing;  what  others  are  doing,  we  can 
do  too,  with  God's  help." 

Delegate:  "There  is  just  one  point  that  has  been  neglected 
that  I  would  like  to  speak  of,  and  it  is  this:  There  has  been  nothing 
said  about  the  men  that  would  go." 

Dr.  Herron:  'T  have  in  mind  a  list  of  over  25  per  cent  of  stu- 
dents in  the  Omaha  Seminary  who  have  requested  a  private  inter- 


IN  THE  MISSION  CONGRESS  239 

view  with  Dr.  Halsey  this  afternoon.  That  is  our  missionary  spirit." 
Delegate :  'This  resolution  consists  of  our  own  ideas.  Our  men 
have  been  stirred  in  this  meeting.  Unless  there  is  some  manner 
in  which  these  impressions  shall  find  expression,  then  this  whole 
convention  will  be  an  injury  to  us,  and  an  injury  to  the  church. 
But  that  there  may  be  a  lucid  expression,  and  that  the  church  may 
be  benefited  as  well  as  we,  here  is  a  plan  set  out  for  us;  and  we 
have  come  to  the  resolution  which  states  that  it  is  our  judgment 
that  the  church  should  raise  at  least  six  million  of  dollars  for  a  partic- 
ular purpose.  It  does  not  say  whether  that  shall  be  raised  in  one 
year,  five  years,  or  ten  years,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  a 
great  mistake  for  us  to  say  in  what  time  it  should  be  raised;  that 
it  is  our  purpose  to  raise  it  at  the  earliest  moment  possible,  and  if 
we  do  not  reach  it  the  first  year,  to  push  up  towards  the  mark,  and 
if  possible  reach  it  the  second,  and  if  not  successful  in  reaching  it 
the  second  year,  keep  on  pushing,  and  if  possible  reach  it  long 
before  the  end  of  ten  years.  If  we  were  to  limit  ourselves,  or  give 
ourselves  a  period  by  putting  the  stake  in  the  distance,  we  would 
not  strain  our  greatest  effort  to  it.  There  is  one  word  in  it  which 
I  like  very  much,  that  is,  that  word  which  expresses  it  as  our  clear 
judgment,  our  conviction  that  this  is  our  work  to  do,  and  I  think 
that  we  should  vote  down  the  proposed  amendment,  and  immedi- 
ately carry  the  resolution,  and  then  put,  as  pastors,  our  whole  spirit 
to  bring  our  congregation  up  to  the  standard,  and  as  laymen  to 
join  with  the  pastors  to  assist  in  reaching  it  as  quickly  as  possible." 
Mr.  B.  M.  Brown:  "  'Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse 
and  prove  me  now  herewith,  saith  God,  if  I  will  not  open  the  win- 
dows of  heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing  such  as  you  are  not 
able  to  receive.'  Don't  fear,  men,  to  bring  everything  you  have  of 
this  world's  goods;  God  can  use  it.  Don't  fear  that  God  can- 
not back  it.  His  Spirit  takes  the  young  men  and  the  young 
women  and  raises  up  the  force  to  be  sent  out.  Don't  be  afraid 
that  God  cannot  give  the  brain  quality  to  the  church  to  whom  He 
gives  the  willingness  to  give  this  six  million  dollars.  Don't  be  afraid 
that  God  cannot  give  the  place  to  use  it.  Yea,  God  can  and  will 
if  we  will  let  Him.  Let  us  not  be  afraid  of  what  God  will  do  with 
these  six  million  dollars,  or  six  thousand  millions,  if  we  will  hand 
it  to  Him  and  ask  Him  to  use  it." 

A  Layman:  "We  are  not  required,  according  to  this  resolu- 
tion, to  raise  six  million  dollars  in  any  specified  time.  There  is 
only  one  thing  there  that  we  must  go  before  God  to  do  and  pledge 
ourselves  to  do,  and  that  is  expressed  in  the  words,  'Go  about  it 
resolutely.'  Who  cannot  do  that?  Twenty-five  years  ago  I  wanted 
to  be  put  in  a  place  where  I  could  do  a  little  something,  and  I  have 
not  forgotten  it,  and  I  am  ready  to  go  and  to  do,  and  go  about  it 
resolutely.  I  cannot  come  here  and  represent  my  church  and --say 
that  they  will  do  so,  or  they  will  not  do  so,  because  I  do  not  know; 


240  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

they  might  not  bear  me  out  in  it,  but  I  can  say, — and  I  am  ready 
to  say  it, — and  I  have  done  my  praying, — I  am  ready  to  say  that 
I  will  go  about  this  as  a  layman,  resolutely;  and  I  think  if  we  all 
do  this  and  drop  this  discussion  we  are  ready  for  the  question." 

Dr  A.  W.  Halsey:  "This  should  be  taken  in  connection  with 
No.  5  at  the  bottom.  It  does  not  mean  any  such  big  thing  as  you 
think;  it  is  a  simple  question.  We  have  got  a  target  to  aim  at, 
when  we  go  back  to  our  churches,  to  at  least  bring  our  churches 
up  to  $5.00  a  member.  These  missionaries  on  the  floor  here  have 
been  trying  to  get  me  to  say  that  we  can  spend  the  six  millions  next 
year.  I  will  say  this:  I  will  guarantee  that  the  board  of  foreign 
missions  faithfully  and  efficiently,  will  spend  every  dollar  that  you 
will  contribute  during  the  next  tv/elve  months." 

The  amendment  was  here  stated:  That  we  give  ourselves  ten 
years  in  which  to  raise  the  six  million  dollars.  The  amendment 
was  lost. 

Moderator:  "Now  we  have  the  recommendation  before  us  in 
its  original  form." 

Mr.  J.  Campbell  White:  "I  am  not  a  delegate  to  this  conven- 
tion, nor  a  secretary  of  the  board;  and  only  ask  for  the  privilege 
of  saying  a  word  at  this  time,  for  I  feel  that  we  have  come  to  the 
main  part  here  of  the  whole  discussion,  and  everything  that  we 
may  do  in  the  future  hinges  here.  I  would  have  you  realize  that 
you  will  be  watched  by  the  whole  Presbyterian  Church  and  the 
whole  world, — the  whole  Christian  world, — to  see  hov/  these  reso- 
lutions are  realized  in  actual  achievement.  I  feel  profoundly  grate- 
ful that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  moved  so  upon  all  our  hearts  that 
there  is  this  readiness  to  go  forward  in  passing  the  resolution.  We 
can  feel  in  the  atmosphere  that  it  is  going  to  pass  without  a  question ; 
and  I  wish  we  might  get  to  that  point  in  our  own  minds  where 
we  are  willing  to  be  lessons  in  doing  the  thing  we  vote  for.  I  wish 
we  might  be  willing  to  do  the  thing  Mr.  Speer  suggested  yesterday 
as  a  test: — the  judgment  note  against  ourselves  for  five  times  what 
we  are  now  doing  for  this  cause.  It  is  absolutely  vital  for  us  to 
have  that  conviction,  and  unless  we  are  prepared  to  set  that  kind 
of  a  pace, — and  I  would  rather  this  resolution  would  not  pass,  al- 
though I  have  the  utmost  hope  that  it  will  pass  and  that  the  whole 
Christian  world  will  be  moved  by  it, — I  would  much  rather  it  would 
not  pass  than  that  it  would  pass  without  that  kind  of  conviction 
clear  down  to  the  center  of  our  being.  That  is  what  it  means. 
Are  we  ready  for  it?  Are  we  prepared  to-day  to  say  that 
we  will  do  it  personally?  We  can  lead  others  to  any  standard  we 
are  willing  to  rise  to  ourselves.  We  cannot  lift  others  to  any  standard 
higher  than  we  are  willing  to  go  ourselves,  and  if  there  is  such 
conviction  in  the  hearts  of  this  great  representative  assembly  as 
woukl  lead  them  to  vote  for  this  resolution,  with  that  kind  of  conviction 
I  believe  this  will  prove  one  of  the  most  heroic  actions  since  Pentecost. 


IN  THE  MISSION  CONGRESS  24I 

We  may  very  well  delay  and  make  no  haste  at  a  point  so  vital  in  the 
onward  march  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Never  before  in  history  has 
such  a  representative  body  of  men  faced  such  an  opportunity,  and 
tried  conscientiously  in  the  light  of  God,  to  decide  on  what  their 
duty  shall  be.  But  it  would  be  a  thousand  pities  if  the  opportunity 
of  moving  the  Christian  world  out  to  the  occupation  and  to  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  unsaved  and  unevangelized  world,  we  should  act 
without  our  wills  being  moved  in  the  things  which,  really  in  the 
sight  of  God,  ought  to  be  done.  It  will  not  be  done  without  sacri- 
fice. Some  of  us  may  perhaps  have  to  sell  some  of  the  things  that 
we  do  not  need  in  our  homes.  We  may  have  to  get  along  with 
fewer  clothes  in  the  year ;  we  may  have  to  get  along  with  more  econom- 
ical food  on  our  tables.  Are  we  ready  for  the  sacrifice  that  it  in- 
volves? It  cost  God  a  great  deal  to  give  us  the  gospel.  I  believe 
it  is  going  to  cost  us  something  to  make  that  gospel  universal.  We 
shall  get  infinitely  more  back  in  blessing  into  our  lives  than  it  can 
cost,  but  let  us  realize  at  this  crisis  that  it  is  going  to  cost,  and  let 
us  not  vote  without  meaning  to  back  with  our  action  and  our  in- 
fluence and  our  prayers,  the  vote  we  cast  for  obedience  to  Christ's 
Great  Command." 

Delegate:  "I  would  like  to  say  to  the  brethren,  are  you  willing 
to  stand  up  here  and  say  that  with  God's  help,  you  will  go  home 
and  give  five  times  what  you  gave  last  year, — stand  up  brethren 
if  you  want  to  do  it, — five  times  as  much  as  we  gave  last  year." 
(Fully  one-fourth  of  the  convention  spontaneously  arose.) 

Dr.  W.  S.  Marquis:  "We  are  ready  now  brethren,  are  we  not? 
Dr.  Bradt  asks  me  to  request  you  to  come  to  the  moment  of  prayer. 
Are  we  ready  for  the  motion,  and  then  the  moment  of  prayer?" 

Delegate:  "I  do  not  think  the  matter  is  entirely  clear  to  all  of 
the  delegates  present.  There  are  at  least  two  inferences  that  would 
enter  the  mind  of  any  man.  The  first  is,  if  we  are  giving,  for  ex- 
ample, one  dollar  a  year  to  foreign  missions,  does  it  mean  individ- 
ually that  we  are  to  bring  ourselves  up  to  $5.00  a  year,  and  if  we 
are  giving  $5.00  a  year,  does  it  mean  that  individually  we  must 
bring  ourselves  up  to  $25.00  a  year,  or  are  we  justified  in  thinking 
that  we  are  doing  our  share  according  to  this  basis?" 

Moderator:  "May  I  say  that  we  come  to  that  in  another  reso- 
lution.    That  matter  is  not  to  be  put  until  a  later  resolution." 

Delegate.  "My  friend  here  asked  us  to  give  an  approximate 
of  five  times  what  we  gave  last  year.  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that 
for  all  of  my  people.  But  I  do  say  that  we  are  a  church  that  gives 
largely  for  God's  work.  I  cannot  promise  that  we  will  give  five 
times  what  we  gave  last  year;  but  I  do  promise,  individually,  that 
I  will  do  the  best  that  I  can.  I  believe  that  our  individual  respon- 
sibility comes  down  to  that  basis.  I  am  not  responsible  for  you  except 
by  example  and  by  words,  but,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  man  whose. in- 
come is  limited,  unless  God  puts  the  money  in  his  pocket  cannot 


242  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

give  beyond  his  pocket,  and  the  matter  should  be  definitely  under- 
stood from  the  start,  what  the  meaning  of  this  is,  that  individually, 
we  come  up  to  at  least  $5.00  with  God's  help.'^ 

Dr.  Marquis:  "We  do  not  expect  that  this  six  millions  is  to 
be  raised  immediately,  it  is  the  ideal  tow^ard  w'hich  we  are  to 
endeavor." 

Moderator:  "The  intention  was  that  we  should  spend  five 
minutes  in  prayer  before  we  take  a  vote  upon  this  resolution.  Shall 
we  bow  our  heads  in  a  moment  of  silent  prayer,  and  then  let  there 
be  voluntary  prayers." 

(Five  minutes  of  prayer  service  is  here  held.) 

Moderator:  "All  of  you  who  are  in  favor  of  Recommendation 
No.  Ill  and  who  desire  to  vote  standing  to  show  your  approval  of 
Recommendation  No.  Ill  and  your  determination  to  set  yourself 
resolutely  to  carry  it  out,  will  you  do  so  by  rising?" 

Motion  carried  with  apparent  unanimity. 

Recommendation  No.  IV  was  then  read  and  motion  made  to 
adopt  the  same.     (See  page  229  for  Recommendation  in  full.) 

Rev.  Henry  Little  of  Springfield,  Mo.:  "I  should  hke  to  em- 
phasize the  value  of  the  foreign  missionary  pastor,  and  I  think  that 
we  ought  to  emphasize  it  in  this  resolution.  As  I  said  this  morning, 
this  method  is  not  applicable  to  all  our  churches,  but  in  view  of  the 
standard  which  we  have  set  for  ourselves,  it  will  be  possible  w^hen- 
ever  we  reach  that  standard  for  a  church  of  120  members  to  support 
a  pastor  in  China.  It  will  be  possible,  if  that  standard  is  right,  for 
a  church  of  140  members,  if  I  remember  correctly,  to  support  a 
pastor  in  some  of  the  adjacent  territories  of  China,  Korea  for  in- 
stance. It  w411  be  possible  for  a  church  of  200  members  to  support 
a  foreign  missionary  pastor  in  some  of  the  foreign  countries.  It 
will  be  possible  for  a  church  of  220  members  to  support  a  foreign 
missionary  pastor  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  There  are  three  things 
essential  to  intelligent  cooperation.  They  are  acquaintance,  in- 
formation, responsibility.  The  message  of  the  gospel  is  not  to  be 
superceded  because  of  the  fact  that  there  needs  to  be  a  magnetic 
force  of  the  personal  touch.  We  need  that  in  our  foreign  missionary 
w^ork.  It  is  important,  it  is  vital  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  individual 
church  should  have  a  personal  acquaintance, — which  will  be  to  that 
church  the  incorporation  of  the  foreign  mission  idea  and  the  church 
of  the  living  God.  The  foreign  missionary  pastor  is  the  best  known 
method, — I  speak  from  experience, — of  getting  information  con- 
cerning foreign  missions  into  the  minds  of  our  people.  They  will 
allow  the  pastor,  incidentally,  I  mean  now  the  home  pastor,  to 
speak  of  foreign  missions  in  ways  which  might  seem  uninteresting 
under  other  circumstances.  And  one  trouble,  too,  I  think  is  that 
we  always  have  to  deal  with  estimates;  the  forty  millions  in  China 
are  co  far  beyond  us  that  it  is  hard  for  the  mind  to  grasp  these  things. 
I  like  this  recommendation  and  I  hope  you  will  keep  it.     I  want 


IN  THE  MISSION  CONGRESS  243 

to  say  that  the  plan  of  having  a  foreign  missionary  pastor  in  my 
church,  increased  our  offering  from  an  aggregate  of  five  hundred 
dollars  from  the  congregation  in  one  year,  to  eleven  hundred  dollars." 

Moderator:  "Are  we  ready  to  consider  Recommendation  No.  IV?" 

The  recommendation  was  adopted. 

Recommendation  No.  V  was  read  and  adopted. 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  I  would  like  to  make  a  statement. 
With  all  due  deference  to  the  committee  who  drew  up  these  recom- 
mendations, it  seems  to  me  that  we  have  left  out  one  important 
resolution.  We  have  failed  to  acknowledge  God.  The  word  'God' 
appears  but  once,  and  the  word  'Christ'  appears  but  once  in  all 
these  recommendations,  and  it  seems  to  me  as  a  Christian  body 
we  should  append  to  these  a  sixth  resolution  to  the  effect  that  we 
are  Christ's  right  arm  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world." 

Moderator:     "Shall  we  take  these  matters  into  consideration?" 

Delegate:  "Mr.  Chairman,  I  move  you,  sir,  that  we  ask  the 
committee  to  prepare  a  preamble  to  these  resolutions,  setting  forth 
the  resolution  of  the  last  speaker."     Carried. 

Prof.  A.  L.  Wolfe,  of  Park  College:  "I  would  like  to  suggest 
a  sixth  resolution  which  it  seems  to  me  is  germane  to  the  issue. 
We  should  not  forget  that  the  church  is  at  this  time  pledging  itself, 
not  only  to  an  advance  in  gifts  of  money,  but  to  the  great,  important 
advance  of  the  freer  gifts  of  young  men  and  women  to  this  work; 
and  further  that  the  gifts  of  life  will  be  futile  unless  it  be  a  life  in- 
stilled by  the  Spirit  of  God.  I  therefore  move  that  we  recommend 
that  the  church  give  not  only  of  its  wealth,  but  of  its  life,  and  that 
to  this  end  we  set  ourselves  resolutely  to  the  work  of  praying  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  shall  choose  and  send  consecrated  men  and  women 
into  the  field." 

It  was  moved  that  the  above  be  referred  to  the  committee  with 
power  to  act.  Motion  carried.  (See  Recommendation  No.VI,  page  230.) 

Delegate:  "I  would  move  that  the  committee  prepare  a  pre- 
amble to  the  recommendations." 

Motion  carried.     (See  preamble,  page  228.) 

Delegate:  "May  I  ask  the  question  if  it  is  the  purpose  of  the 
board  to  send  out  speakers  to  the  synods  to  help  in  this  work?  Now 
I  would  especially  like  this  sort  of  help  and  am  ready  to  do  all  I  can." 

Moderator:  "I  will  say  that  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  board  to 
encourage  the  churches  in  every  possible  way.  Dr.  Halsey  is  ex- 
ercising himself  personally  and  through  his  assistant  secretaries, 
and  through  the  furloughed  missionaries,  just  as  largely  as  possible 
to  help  along  in  this  work.  He  will  continue  to  do  this  more  and 
more,  day  by  day,  and  night  by  night." 

A  motion  to  adopt  the  recommendations  as  a  whole  was  made 
and  carried. 

Dr.  Hunter  Corbett,  of  China:  "I  have  had  the  sad  experi- 
ence of  working  for  the  famine  stricken  people.     My  heart  aches 


244  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

day  and  night  as  I  think  of  ten  millions  of  my  brothers  in  China 
brought  face  to  face  with  death.  Unless  help  comes  they  must  die. 
If  you  will  indulge  me  a  moment  I  will  read  what  many  have  suggested 
for  your  consideration : 

"Resolved  that  we,  the  delegates  of  Presbyterian  churches  as- 
sembled in  Inter-Synodical  conference  to  survey  the  spiritual  neces- 
sities of  foreign  mission  lands,  remember  and  consider  also  with  the 
liveliest  sympathy  at  this  time  of  their  suffering  the  dire  bodily  pri- 
vation of  10,000,000  brothers  in  the  common  family  of  God,  afflicted 
with  famine  in  China,  and  recognizing  in  this  hour  of  their  trouble 
our  opportunity  to  show  forth  toward  them  the  spirit  of  the  Master 
whom  we  seek  to  have  them  know,  we  pledge  ourselves  to  stir  up 
our  respective  churches  to  the  immediate  duty  of  feeding  these 
hungry  and  dying  brothers  in  the  name  of  Christ,  making  offerings 
of  grain  or  money  for  their  need." 

On  motion  the  above  was  adopted. 

Prayer  was  here  offered  for  a  wayward  daughter,  by  special  re- 
quest of  a  Christian  mother. 

Moderator:  "Mr.  J.  Campbell  White  is  going  to  present  to  us 
in  a  brief  announcement,  'The  Laymen's  Movement.'  " 

Mr.  J.  Campbell  White:  "The  first  great  undertaking  of  the 
Laymen's  Movement  is  to  send  a  commission  around  the  world 
to  study  the  conditions  from  the  business  man's  standpoint,  the 
commission  to  consist  of  one  hundred  business  men.  We  have 
about  thirty  of  these  men  in  sight  already.-  We  want  this  great 
Presbyterian  church  to  be  largely  and  strongly  represented  on  that 
commission.  There  are  doubtless  men  on  the  floor  here  this  after- 
noon who  ought  to  be  members  of  that  commission.  There  are 
others  whom  you  know  at  home  who  ought  to  be  members.  What  I 
want  to  do  in  a  single  word  is  to  call  this  matter  to  your  attention  and 
say  that  any  suitable  layman  who  is  interested  in  the  mission  fields  of 
the  world  may  be  appointed  as  a  member  of  this  committee  of  laymen. 
At  a  little  conference  held  to-day  at  noon  I  found  a  couple 
of  strong  business  men  of  this  city  who  felt  very  strongly 
inclined  to  become  members  of  this  commission,  and  I  wish  that 
you  would  communicate  with  me,  or  through  Dr.  Bradt  to  me,  of 
any  you  know  who  might  be  suitable  as  members  of  this  commission." 

Moderator:  "Brethren,  before  we  adjourn  we  should  have  a 
word  of  prayer  and  benediction. 

Moved  and  seconded  that  we  adjourn.     Motion  carried. 

Followed  by  prayer  and  benediction  by  Rev.  Charles  A.  High- 
field  of  Iowa. 

Adjourned  until  7  ;t,o  p.  m. 


Emergency 

''Go,  now,  ye  that  are  men,  and  serve  the  Lord'' 


245 


Chairman,  Mr.  Nolan  Rice  Best. 
Benediction:  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D. 


246 


XXXVIII 
NOTHING  NARROW  ABOUT  IT 

BY  MR.  NOLAN   RICE  BEST,  CHAIRMAN 

We  are  come  to-night  to  clinch  the  nail  which  already  to-day 
has  been  driven  home.  It  has  been  a  special  joy  throughout  this 
conference  to  see  how  deliberation  has  gone  with  earnestness.  It 
is  our  greatest  moral  problem  to  combine  intensity  of  action  with 
breadth  of  view.  I  have  rejoiced  to  feel  that  here  we  have  had  them 
both.  I  trust  that  we  shall  be  able  to  carry  back  to  our  churches 
the  same  self-poised  earnestness.  Let  us  interpret  our  task  in  the 
widest  relations. 

The  motto  spread  above  this  platform, — "The  Evangelization 
of  the  World  in  this  Generation," — has,  I  believe,  never  appeared 
before  in  a  Presbyterian  assemblage.  I  confess  that  it  has  seemed 
to  me  capable  of  being  used  in  a  very  narrow  sense,  but  I  have  re- 
joiced to  perceive  that  no  speaker  in  this  gathering  has  put  upon  it 
any  limited  meaning.  Instead,  it  has  all  the  while  received  the 
same  comprehensive  emphasis  which  the  author  of  the  phrase — Mr. 
John  R.  Mott — has  put  upon  it  in  the  chapters  of  his  book  that  deal 
with  this  watchword.  Evangelization  is  not  to  be  understood  as 
a  mere  hasty  preaching  of  the  gospel  message  from  town  to  town  in 
order  to  cover  the  ground  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  contemplates 
in  the  Presbyterian  view  the  most  thoroughgoing  work  toward  estab- 
lishing the  kingdom  of  God  permanently  in  all  lands.  It  con- 
templates, as  Dr.  Halsey  has  said,  the  development  of  a  self-prop- 
agating native  church.  The  conception,  therefore,  is  one  of  the 
highest  religious  statesmanship,  and  in  the  spirit  of  that  statesman- 
ship we  are  challenged  to-day  to  move  forward  to  the  task  of  apply- 
ing the  gospel  to  all  peoples  in  all  lands. 


247 


XXXIX 
THE  SYRIAN  SITUATION 

BY  F.  E.  H. 

Syria,  like  Greece,  England,  and  Japan,  is  a  small  country 
but  in  the  great  drama  of  humanity  it  has  been  the  stage  of  the  most 
thrilling  and  momentous  scenes  in  human  history.  The  influences 
originating  within  and  about  its  narrow  borders  have  been  and  will 
continue  to  be  the  most  painful,  touching  the  mind,  the  imagination 
and  the  heart  of  man.  As  long  as  the  Jewish,  the  Moslem,  and  the 
Christian  faiths  sway  the  destinies  of  believing  souls,  so  long  will 
little  Syria  remain  enshrined  in  loving  hearts,  and  her  weal  or  woe 
will  thrill  with  joy  or  pain  an  increasingly  large  portion  of  our  race. 

The  possession  of  this  land  has  produced  the  most  curious  and 
complicated  race  and  religious  problems  in  history.  When  Abraham 
journeyed  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  and  passed  through  the  land  he 
found  it  filled  with  tribes  and  peoples  who  became  at  once  the  natural 
enemies  of  the  Hebrews.  After  Jacob  parted  from  Esau  in  anger, 
and  the  Israelites  returned  from  their  Egyptian  bondage,  the  chil- 
dren of  Jacob  found  their  ancient  enemies  reinforced  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  churlish  sons  of  Esau.  The  result  of  this  family  feud 
disfigured  Hebrew  history  from  the  days  of  Moses  to  Herod  the  Great. 
Unhallowed  alliances  with  the  Canaanites,  the  Edomites,  the  Assyri- 
ans, Greeks  and  Romans,  produced  defections  and  defilements 
in  every  century  of  this  period.  The  early  Christian  centuries  con- 
tinue the  same  sad  strife  of  race  and  religion.  Maccabee,  Jew  and 
Roman,  Pharisee,  Sadducee  and  Publican,  are  a  few  of  the  forces 
warring  for  supremacy.  Christianity  was  born  amid  strife,  suffered 
persecution  from  Jew  and  Roman  for  three  centuries  before  it  emerged 
victorious.  Then  came  three  more  centuries  of  theological  strife 
in  which  lie  the  roots  of  the  great  schism  between  the  east  and  the 
west  of  Christendom.  While  the  Western  Roman  Empire  was 
busy  in  its  losing  battle  with  the  heathen  nations  of  the  west,  the 
Eastern,  or  Byzantine  Empire  entered,  about  630,  upon  an  endless 
strife  with  the  bitterest  and  most  aggressive  foe  that  ever  attacked 
Christianity.  The  faith  of  Islam,  born  in  the  desert  of  Arabia, 
embodied  in  the  Sword  of  Mohammed  and  the  Koran,  warred  for 
800  years  until  its  victorious  banners  floated  in  1453  over  Constanti- 
nople and  the  ruins  of  the  Byzantine  Empire.  Since  that  cataclysm 
of  horror  the  Eastern  Christian  church  has  been  in  darkness  and 
large  portions  of  it  have  sufl'ered  centuries  of  bitter  and  bloody 
persecution. 

*  248 


THE  SYRIAN  SITUATION  249 

When  the  nineteenth  century  dawned,  and  the  Modern  Mission- 
ary Movement  was  born,  protestant  missionaries  made  their  way 
into  Syria  and  found  a  more  complicated  and  puzzling  maze  of 
races  and  religions  than  had  ever  been  seen  before.  At  the  close 
of  the  Middle  Ages  five  fragments  of  the  ancient  Christian  church 
had  weathered  the  storm  and  were  found  in  Egypt,  Armenia,  Meso- 
potamia, Syria  and  Greek  speaking  lands.  They  were  known  as 
Copts,  in  Egypt,  Armenians  and  Gregorians  in  Armenia,  Chaldeans 
in  Mesopotamia,  Syriac  in  Syria,  and  Greeks  in  and  about  Con- 
stantinople. The  Pope  at  Rome  for  centuries  attempted  to  win 
the  allegiance  of  those  Oriental  sects  and  somewhere  during  the 
centuries  succeeded  in  splitting  each  of  those  fragments  into  two 
hostile  sections  which  took  upon  themselves  the  names  which  ex- 
ist until  this  present  day.  The  fragments  of  the  Oriental  sects 
which  retained  their  original  faith,  language  and  ritual,  called  them- 
selves Orthodox,  and  the  fragments  which  gave  adherence  to  the 
church  of  Rome  called  themselves  Catholics,  hence  out  of  the  five 
fragments  came  ten  sects.  So  we  have  Coptic  Orthodox,  and  Coptic 
Catholic,  Armenian  Orthodox  and  Armenian  Catholic,  Greek 
Orthodox  and  Greek  Catholic.  Orthodox  means  the  older  and 
original  faith  and  Catholic  the  newer  papal  form.  There  were  also 
certain  other  sects  such  as  the  Nestorians  and  Maronites,  which 
are  fossihzed  chapters  of  church  history  and  stand  as  monuments  to 
certain  heresies  in  the  Christian  faith. 

Originally  the  five  Oriental  sections  had  five  patriarchs  who 
resided  in  or  took  their  names  from  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Alexandria, 
or  Constantinople.  After  the  efforts  of  the  Pope  at  Rome  they  had 
ten  patriarchs,  five  Orthodox  and  five  Catholic.  About  the  same 
time  the  modern  nations  of  Europe  added  a  political  element  to  the 
strife  of  race  and  religion.  France,  as  the  right  hand  of  the  Papacy, 
attempted  a  sort  of  Protectorate  over  the  Catholic  portions  of  the 
Oriental  Christians,  and  Russia  in  later  times  attempting  to  realize 
her  assumed  Protectorate  of  all  Orthodox  Christians  caused  the 
Crimean  war,  and  Protestant  England  was  drawn  into  that  deadly 
struggle.  Other  nations  for  one  reason  or  another  have  also  entered 
the  many-sided  struggle  until  no  country  in  the  world  has  anything 
to  compare  with  Syria's  collection  of  diplomatic  and  ecclesiastical 
agencies,  centering  in  Jerusalem  and  extending  to  a  hundred  other 
cities,  towns  and  villages. 

In  addition  to  the  sects  already  referred  to,  there  are  Jews  of  every 
type,  language  and  nationality  returning  to  colonize,  in  connection 
with  the  Zionist  movement,  to  weep  at  the  Wailing  Place  or  to  die. 
There  are  also  four  or  five  religions  that  do  not  exist  elsewhere  on 
the  earth:  The  Nusairiyeh,  perhaps  the  only  remnant  of  paganism; 
the  Ansairiyeh,  by  some  connected  with  the  ancient  Assassins;  the 
Samaritans  at  Nablous;  the  Maronites  and  the  Druses  of  jVEount 
Lebanon.    Then  there  are  two  great  divisions  of  Islam,  the  Sonne 


250  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Moslems  of  Turkey,  and  the  Shiite  Moslems  of  Persia,  with  all  the 
minor  sub-divisions  of  those  great  bodies.  Including  the  Protestants 
of  whom  there  are  more  than  100,000  in  the  Turkish  Empire,  not 
less  than  twenty  distinct  sects  and  forms  of  faith  are  embraced  and 
professed  by  the  modern  dwellers  of  Syria. 

The  importance  of  these  modern  sects  has  been  intensified  by 
the  policy  of  the  ruling  powers  toward  these  Christian,  Jewish  and 
Moslem  sects.  The  Turk  has  left  no  effort  untried,  no  act  undone, 
that  would  result  in  sustaining,  perpetuating  and  intensifying  the 
world-old  antagonisms  which  separate  these  warring  fragments  of 
humanity.  It  was  to  him:  "Divide,  and  so  more  easily  conquer;" 
— the  present  regime  has  lived  up  to  this  axiom,  with  one  single 
exception,  and  that  is  in  the  matter  of  Pan-Islamism. 

The  Pan-mania  has  reached  the  non-Christian  and  heathen 
world.  But  Pan-Slavism,  Pan-Hellenism,  Pan-Germanism,  and  Pan- 
Americanism,  are  all  pygmies  compared  with  Pan-Hinduism  and  Pan- 
Islamism.  The  present  Sultan  for  many  year,,  has  pursued  this  phan- 
tom, dreaming  this  dream  that  he  can  never  realize.  The  reasons 
are  simple.  For  far  too  many  years  he  has  been  pursuing  the  "divide- 
and-conquer"  policy  even  among  his  own  co-religionists,  and  neither 
he  nor  his  house  can  ever  undo  the  effects  among  the  Arab  races. 
Then  while  the  Turk  is  a  Moslem  he  has  never  caught  the  real 
spirit  of  Islam,  but  has  unfortunately  developed  its  cruder  elements 
of  intolerance,  polygamy  and  slavery.  Moreover,  the  Koran  has 
been  and  will  continue  to  be  a  sealed  book  to  the  Turk  because  he 
does  not  understand  Arabic  and  the  tenets  of  fhe  Moslem  faith  still 
liold  against  the  impossibility  of  translating  the  Koran  into  any 
other  language.  The  systematic  and  long  continued  effort  to  supple- 
ment the  Arabic  in  the  largest  Moslem  Empire  by  the  Turkish  lan- 
guage, inferior  in  every  respect  to  the  language  of  the  Koran,  has 
forever  alienated  the  greater  part  of  the  Arabic  speaking  races. 
So  it  can  be  said  that  if  ever  Pan-Islamism  becomes  an  accomplished 
fact  it  must  be  under  the  leadership  of  the  Arab  race.  Politically 
also  there  are  great  obstacles.  Of  the  235,000,000  Moslems  in  the 
world  more  than  140,000,000  are  now  under  Christian  rule  and  the 
whole  movement  will  receive  the  most  careful  attention  of  the  great 
nations  interested  The  attempt  of  one  of  the  Christian  rulers  to 
make  use  of  this  great  movement — Pan-Islamism — in  his  antagonism 
to  rival  Christian  powers  has  wrought  great  mischief  in  Morocco 
and  Egypt,  and  brought  only  defeat  and  isolation  to  the  German 
Government.  The  Emperor  placed  the  German  trademark  on 
Pan-Islamism  in  his  famous  Damascus  speech  in  1898,  but  the  day 
may  yet  come  when  he  and  his  people  who  but  faintly  understood 
the  real  import  of  that  spectacular  journey  to  Syria  will  still  more 
deeply  regret  the  creation  of  this  Frankenstein  in  the  diplomatic 
and  political  world. 

The  religious  side  of  Pan-Islamism  is  weaker  than  the  political, 


THE   SYRIAN  SITUATION  25 1 

because  once  again  their  great  book,  the  Koran,  is  brought  to  the 
bar  of  history.  The  Koran  has  had  undisputed  sway  in  Arabia 
for  1,300  years  and  piteously  failed  to  make  that  land  in  any  sense 
"Araby  the  Blest."  Cruelty  is  common,  lying  a  fine  art,  and  robbery 
a  science  there.  Intolerance,  polygamy  and  slavery  exist  unmolested 
and  universal.  Wars  continue  unabated  century  after  century, 
and  real  government  is  in  most  parts  unknown.  Forty  years  ago 
Palgrave,  a  famous  English  traveler  in  Arabia,  after  years  of  con- 
tact with  Arab  races  and  of  study,  said:  "When  the  Koran  and 
Mecca  shall  have  disappeared  from  Arabia,  then  and  then  only, 
can  we  expect  to  see  the  Arab  assume  that  place  in  the  ranks  of 
civilization  from  which  Mohammed  and  his  book  more  than  any 
other  cause  long  held  him  back."  And  Sir  William  Muir,  after 
years  of  intimate  contact  with  the  Moslem  world  and  of  profound 
study  in  politics  and  religion,  wrote  as  his  verdict  that,  "The  sword 
of  Mohammed  and  the  Koran  are  the  most  stubborn  enemies  of 
civilization,  liberty  and  truth,  which  the  world  has  yet  known." 
Decades  ago  the  European  powers  forced  the  Ottoman  Empire 
to  replace  the  cruel  and  intolerant  Koranic  law  by  the  Napoleonic 
code  of  Europe.  Centuries  ago  they  forced  the  Turk  to  abate  his 
fierce  intolerance  toward  the  Christian  subjects  of  his  Empire,  but 
in  both  matters  the  traditional  spirit  of  the  Koran,  the  intolerance 
of  the  Moslem  faith,  have  almost  wrecked  the  legal  system  of  the 
Empire,  and  provoked  an  almost  unending  series  of  massacres 
written  large  in  Greece,  Bosnia,  Hetrygomia,  Lebanon,  Bulgaria, 
Egypt,  Armenia  and  Crete.  All  the  "reforms"  demanded  by  the 
Powers,  and  promised  by  the  Turk  during  the  nineteenth  century, 
have  for  their  end  the  equal  treatment  of  all  Ottoman  subjects 
without  reference  to  race,  language  or  religion,  the  distribution  of 
even  handed  justice,  the  righteous  collection  of  taxes  and  the  details 
of  those  problems  still  preserved  in  writings  on  an  awful  confession 
of  the  intolerance  and  iniquities  complained  of.  Now  it  is  an  open 
secret  that  each  time  the  Ottoman  Turks  yielded  willingly  or  unwill- 
ingly to  the  demands  of  the  Christian  powers,  suspicion,  dissatis- 
faction and  distrust  increased  in  the  minds  of  the  Moslems  every- 
where. The  attempts  of  the  present  regime  to  bridge  this  widening 
gulf  by  modern  appeals  to  the  ancient,  intolerant  spirit  in  Armenia, 
in  Macedonia,  in  Crete,  in  Egypt,  are  too  well  known  to  need  enu- 
meration here.  The  internal  conditions  as  known  and  felt  by  for- 
eigners in  the  Empire  itself  are  irritating  and  dangerous  beyond 
measure.  The  encroachment  upon  anciently  established  rights 
was  checked  by  France  at  Mitylene,  but  the  attitude  of  Turkish 
officials  has  not  been  in  any  wise  improved  and  must  continue  to 
brood  ill  feeling  and  greater  friction  than  ever.  Moslem  writers 
in  many  lands  have  openly  blamed  the  regime  for  bringing  Islam 
into  such  disrepute,  and  the  thinly  veiled  antagonism  between 
Mecca  and  Constantinople  has  not  been  removed  by  the  building 


252  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

of  the  Hamidian  Pilgrimage  Railway  from  Damascus  dovm  the 
pilgrimage  road  toward  Mecca,  the  ecclesiastical  center  of  the  Mos- 
lem world. 

Syria  lies  about  half-way  between  Mecca  and  Constantinople, 
the  ecclesiastical  and  political  storm  centers  of  the  Moslem  world. 
Whenever  for  any  reason  the  people  of  Damascus,  the  second  holy 
city  of  Islam,  are  suspected  of  leaning  toward  Mecca,  there  is  sorrow 
for  all  Syria.  There  was  once  a  time,  not  more  than  twenty-five 
years  ago,  when  Arabic  speaking  officials  filled  all  the  posts  in  their 
part  of  the  Empire.  To-day  the  situation  has  been  reversed,  and 
rarely  do  we  find  officials  who  know  either  the  language  or  the 
religion  of  the  people.  The  bearings  of  this  great  change  need  no 
fuller  explanation. 

Now  missionary  activity  in  Syria  has  providentially  been  largely 
of  an  educational  kind,  for  this  has  been  the  greatest  need  for  Chris- 
tian, Moslem,  and  Jew.  Nothing  has  done  more, — nothing  could 
do  more, — to  soften,  abate  and  remove  the  intolerance  that  has 
existed  among  all  three  classes.  And  it  has  been  the  glory  of  all 
such  enterprises  that  they  have  taught  Christian,  Moslem  and  Jew, 
to  live  together  in  peace  while  respecting  each  other's  faith.  The 
brotherhood  of  man,  and  the  Fatherhood  of  God  are  conceptions 
that  have  been  born  anew  in  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
of  human  hearts.  Polygamy  has  been  touched  by  the  leven  of 
Christianity,  and  thousands  of  educated  Moslem  girls  are  now  the 
sole  and  only  wife  in  Moslem  homes  where  the  Koranic  permission 
of  four  wives  will  never  again  be  indulged  in.  These  educated 
women  have  also  entered  the  struggle  for  their  own  emancipation, 
and  in  books  and  periodicals  are  projecting  the  aspiration  of  the 
"New  Woman"  into  the  future  of  Islam.  Slavery  is  still  an  ugly 
sore  in  many  parts  of  the  Moslem  world.  Not  more  than  three 
years  ago  the  Egyptian  government  made  a  striking  impression  by 
the  summary  arrest  and  punishment  of  some  of  the  most  prominent 
Moslems  in  Cairo,  but  little  is  said  against  it  in  quarters  where 
Christian  and  foreign  influence  is  weak. 

Christ  still  waits  in  the  land  of  His  incarnation,  atonement  and 
resurrection,  to  see  "the  travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied."  He 
that  giveth  quickly  giveth  tmce;  he  that  giveth  generously  is  the 
only  Christian  giver;  the  acts  and  service  due  to-day,  this  year,  and 
yet  left  undone,  can  never  be  fully  atoned  for.  So  hasten,  hasten, 
for  the  loving  Savior  waits,  not  for  sinners  only,  but  also  for  the 
loyal  service  of  His  living  saints. 


XL 

INTRODUCTION  OF  DR.  CORBETT 

BY  NOLAN  R.  BEST 

The  last  hour  of  the  convention  is  come.  There  remains  for  us 
but  one  duty — to  pay  a  loving  tribute  of  farewell. 

Among  all  the  missionaries  here  present  there  is  one  who  by  all 
consent  is  easily  first  among  his  equals.  For  many  years  earnest 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  have  felt  that  such  personal 
honor  as  goes  with  the  Moderator's  chair  in  the  General  Assembly 
ought  to  be  conferred  upon  some  notable  representative  of  the  foreign 
missionar}'  service.  In  the  assembly  of  1906  there  was  present  a 
commissioner  from  the  Foreign  Field  of  great  distinction,  and  provi- 
dentially, as  we  now  all  believe,  his  fellow  commissioners  were  guided 
to  lay  upon  him  the  dignities  of  the  moderatorial  office.  With 
what  eminent  credit  to  the  church  he  has  borne  them,  we  all  know. 
But  no  honors  bestowed  upon  him  here  have  ever  withdrawn  the 
love  of  this  prophet  of  God  from  the  country  to  which  he  has  given 
his  life  work.  His  heart  turns  back  thither,  and  now  he  has  delib- 
erately preferred  to  forego  the  honor  of  opening  the  next  and  greatest 
Assembly  of  the  church  in  order  that  he  may  the  sooner  return  to 
his  labors  in  China. 

It  falls  to  our  fortune  here,  therefore,  to  meet  him  at  his  last 
public  appearance  in  this  country.  It  is  ours  to  bid  him  farewell  in 
the  name  of  the  whole  church  which  has  learned  to  love  him.  We 
say  a  hearty  Godspeed,  and  yet,  Hke  the  elders  who  knelt  on  the 
strand  at  Miletus,  we  "sorrow  most  of  all  for  the  word  which  he 
has  spoken,  that  we  shall  behold  his  face  no  more,"  for  he  has  chosen 
to  meet  the  resurrection  among  the  converts  whom  he  has  led  to 
love  the  risen  Christ,  and  it  brings  the  other  land  very  near  to  think 
to-night  that  we  shall  next  meet  this  great  missionary  of  the  Cross 
in  the  presence  of  his  and  our  Savior.  We  bid  him  farewell  in  that 
hope.  Yet  we  must  not  rise  to  say  that  solemn  good-bye  without 
remembering  that  wherever  he  has  gone  during  this  year  he  has 
asked  the  churches  to  give  him  a  message  of  brotherhood  to  our 
fellow- Christians  in  China,  pledging  that  we  will  send  more  and 
more  liberally  of  our  riches  to  meet  their  spiritual  need.  Let  us 
make  that  pledge  to-night,  for  ourselves  and  for  our  churches,  in 
order  that  he  may  carry  the  message  to  the  beloved  Chinese  brethren. 
Let  us  all  rise  and  sing,  "Ye  Christian  Heralds,  Go !  Proclaim!  "and 
let  us  stand  in  honor  of  the  great  missionary.  Dr.  Hunter  Corbett, 
while  we  hear  his  farewell  address.  , 

253 


XLI 

A    FAREWELL    MESSAGE 

BY  HUNTER     CORBETT,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  great  privilege  which  I  have  enjoyed  the  past  year  in  being 
permitted  in  many  assemblies  to  tell  of  God's  work  in  China;  the 
intelligent  and  sympathetic  interest  many  have  shown  in  the  mission 
work;  the  opportunity  of  renewing  and  keeping  friendship  in  repair, 
together  with  the  kind  hospitality  I  have  received  in  many  Chris- 
tian homes,  have  given  me  a  treasure  of  happy  memories  and  an 
inspiration  which  will  make  all  my  remaining  life  in  China  more 
glad  and  hopeful. 

More  than  forty  years  spent  in  China  has  deepened  my  faith 
in  the  exceeding  preciousness  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ.  An  imperative  need  of  every  Christian,  as  well  as 
all  men,  is  to  have  an  experimental  and  growing  knowledge  of  the 
gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth. 

The  gospel  is  also  the  antidote  to  despair  and  countless  ills.  All 
who  love  the  truth  and  earnestly  desire  to  have  a  richer  experience 
of  the  full  and  overflowing  life  promised  to  obedient  disciples  must 
make  umvavering  loyalty  to  Jesus,  lije's  key-note;  all  must  honor 
the  Holy  Spirit  and  implicitly  follow  His  guidance.  "When  Jesus 
saw  the  multitudes.  He  was  moved  with  compassion  on  them,  be- 
cause they  fainted  and  were  scattered  abroad  as  sheep  having  no 
shepherd."  As  Christ's  disciples  look  on  the  fields  white  already 
to  harvest  and  reahze  the  hopeless  condition  of  the  millions  still  in 
"darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  "every  heart  must  be  deeply 
stirred  with  compassion  and  the  desire  awakened  to  have  a  worthy 
share  in  obeying  promptly  the  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  What  answer  shall  be 
given  to  God's  burning  questions,  "How  shall  they  believe  in  him 
of  whom  they  have  not  heard?  And  how  shall  they  hear  without  a 
preacher?  And  how  shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent"?  Are 
all  heeding  the  Macedonian  cry,  "Come  over  and  help  us"? 

"Let  him  know  that  he  which  convertcth  a  sinner  from  the  error 
of  his  way  shall  save  a  soul  from  death  and  hide  a  multitude  of  sins;" 
and  "He  that  winneth  souls  is  wise;"  and  "They  that  be  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they  that  turn  many 
to  righteousness  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 

May  the  ennobling  and  uplifting  vision  of  the  glory  of  Christ's 
spiritu,al  kingdom,  in  which  all  people,  nations  and  languages  shall 

254 


A   FAREWELL   MESSAGE  255 

serve  Him,  enlarge  and  enrich  our  souls  and  inspire  every  Christian 
to  more  Christ-like  living,  earnest  and  ceaseless  prayer,  liberal  giving 
and  personal  effort  to  hasten  the  time  when  "The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ;  and 
He  shall  reign  forever  and  ever,"  and  "At  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord, 
to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 

Shall  we  not  all  hope  and  earnestly  pray  for  God's  richest  blessing, 
not  only  to  follow  and  abide  with  every  member  of  this  assembly, 
but  that  every  church  and  community  here  represented  shall  share 
in  a  great  revival  that  will  sweep  over  the  whole  world  and  establish 
a  Universal  Brotherhood  0}  Christian  Men. 


Conclusion 

"Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do?  " 


257 


Official  Recorder:  Arthur  F.  Bishop,  D.D. 


258 


XLII 

THE  CONVENTION  PROGRAM 

Q;ue0OaB  jEvcning,  ffebruarg  19,  7:30  o'cloch 

OPPORTUNITY 

Chairman,  Rev.  Ira  Landrith,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Anthem,  Male  Chorus, — One  Hundred  Voices. 

Devotional,  Scripture  Reading,  Rev.  A.  B.  Marshall,  D.D. 

Prayer,  Rev.  T.  K.  Hunter,  D.D. 

Hymn,  "All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus  Name." 

Fraternal  Greeting,  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D. 

Response,  Rev.  Ira  Landrith,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Quartette, 

Address,  "Foreign  Missions — A  Great  World  Force." 

Rev.  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D. 
Prayer,  Rev.  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Business,  Selection  of  Convention  Committee. 
Hymn,  "The  Son  of  God  Goes  Forth  to  War." 
Benediction,  Rev.  B.  M.  Long,  D.D. 

TKHc&ncsOas  Morning,  ffcbruar^  20,  8:45  o'clocft 

OBLIGATION 

Chairman,  Mr.  J.  I.  McClelland,  St.  Louis. 

8:  45.     Devotional,  "The  Bible  Basis  of  Foreign  Missions." 

Rev.  Perry  V.  Jenness. 
9:  30.     "Visions  of  the  Foreign  Field."  Rev.  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D.,  China. 

Rev.  S.  A.  Moffett,  D.D.,  Korea. 
Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan,  D.D.,  Persia. 
Hymn,  "O  Zion  Haste." 
10:  45.     "The  Distinct  Foreign  Mission  Responsibility  of  the  Presbyterian 

Church."  Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer. 

11 :  45.     Quartette,  "Go  Ye  Into  All  the  World." 

11:50.     Facing  Responsibility  in  Prayer,  "Lord  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
do?"  Mr.  Robt.  E.  Speer. 

Mr.  J.  Campbell  White. 
12:  00.     Benediction,  Rev.  E.  W.  Work,  D.D. 

THleDnesDaB  Hfternoon,  3februari3  20,  2: 00  o'clocft 

MOTIVE 

Chairman,  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Hall,  Chicago. 

2:  00.     Devotional,  Rev.  C.  F.  Hubbard,  D.D. 

2:  15.     "Christ's  Appeal  to  Men  for  the  World." 

Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer. 
3:  00.     "The  Inspiration  of  Information." 

T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Ph.  D. 
Benediction,  Rev.  F.  W.  Lewis. 

MISSIONARY  CONFERENCES 

3:30       Mission  Study  Class:     The  Auditorium. 

Leader,  Prof.  T.  H.  Sailer,  Ph.  D. 

Chairman,  Mr.  J.  Dickey  Templeton.  • 

259 


26o  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 

Conference  with  Theological  Students: — Omaha  Theo.  Sem. 

Leader,  Secretary  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D. 

Chairman,  Prof.  M.  B.  Lowrie,  D.D. 

Conference  With  Missionaries: 

China:     First  Presbyterian  Church,  Corner  17th  and  Dodge. 

Pastor,  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D. 
Missionaries,  Rev.  Hunter  Corbett,  D.D. 

Rev.  J.  Ashley  Fitch. 
Chairman,  Rev.  Edwin  Hart  Jenks,  D.D. 

Korea:   Knox  Presbyterian  Church,  19th  and  Ohio. 

Pastor,  Rev.  M.  V.  Higbee. 
Missionary,  Rev.  S.  A.  Moffett,  D.D. 

Chairman,  Rev.  Carey  F.  Moore,  Fulton,  111. 

Japan:     Clifton  Hills  Presbyterian  Church,  Grant  and  42nd. 

Pastor,  Rev.  Richard  L.  Purdy. 
Missionary,  Rev.  James  B.  Ayres. 

Chairman,  Rev.  Richard  L.  Purdy. 

Indi.\:     Westminster  Presbyterian  Church,  29th  and  Mason  St. 

Missionary,  Rev.  E.  M.  Wherry,  D.D. 

Subject,  "What  should  immediately  be  done  for  India?" 
Chairman,  Rev.  Ambrose  S.  Wight,  Lohrville,Ia. 

Persia:  Castellar  Presbyterian  Church,  16th  and  Castellar  St. 

Pastor,  Rev.  Walter H.  Reynolds,  D.D. 
Missionary,  Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan,  D.D. 

Chairman,  Rev.  S.  S.  Hilscher,  D.D. 

Africa:   Dundee  Presbyterian  Church,  Dundee. 

Pastor,  Rev.  Thos.  K.  Hunter,  D.D. 
Missionaries,  Rev.  J.  S.  Cunningham. 

H.  L.  Weber,  M.D. 
Chairman,  Rev.  Geo.  M.  Colville,  D.D.Racine.Wis. 

Philippines:  Second  Presbyterian  Church.    24th  and  Izzard. 

Pastor.  Rev.  N.  H.  Burdick. 
Missionary,  Dr.  J.  A.  Hall. 

Chairman,  Rev.  N.  H.  Burdick. 

South  America:     Benson  Presbyterian  Church,  Benson. 

Pastor,  Rev.  Jesse  C.  Wilson. 
Speaker,  Rev.  George  C.  Lenington. 

Chairman,  Rev.  Jesse  C.  Wilson. 

Chinese  and  Japanese  in  America:     Church  of  the  Covenant,  28th    and 
Pratt  St.  Pastor,  Rev.  Richard  T.  Bell. 

Missionary,  Rev  J.  H.  Laughlin,  D.D. 

Oakland,  California. 

TRUcOnesDag  lEventng,  jfebruarg  20,  7:30  o'clocft 

MIGHT 

Chairman,  Mr.  David  McConaughy. 

7:30.     Address,   "The   Might  of  Mohammedanism  and   the   Power  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ."  Rev.  S.  M.  Jordan,  Persia. 

Anthem,  Male  Chorus. 
8:  00.     Address,  "The  Greatest  Opportunity  in  the  World." 

Mr.  J.  Campbell  White,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
Hymn,  "Stand  up.  Stand  up  for  Jesus." 
8:30.     Address,  "Men  of  Might  in  Missions." 

Rev.  R.  F.  Coyle,  D.D.,LL.D. 
«       Hymn,  "Onward  Christian  Soldiers." 

Benediction,  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Sexton,  D.D. 


CONVENTION    PROGRAM  26 1 

ITbursOaB  horning,  ffebruats  21,  8:45  o'clocft 

METHODS 
Chairman,  Rev.  F.  W.  Hawley, 

8:  45.     Devotional,  Rev.  S.  S.  Estey,  Ph.  D., 

9:  15.     Educational  Methods: 

"Literature."  Rev.  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D., 

"The  Pulpit."  Prof.  Edgar  P.  Hill,  D.D., 

10:30.     Financial  Methods: 

"How  to  Finance  the  Field."     Charles  Edwin  Bradt, 
11:00.     Organization  Methods:  , 

"The  Parish  Abroad."  Mr.  David  McConaughy, 

"Missionary  Methods  for  Men  in  the  Local  Church." 

Rev.  W.  S.  Marquis,  D.D. 

^bursDas  Jltternoon,  ffebruacg  2t,  2:00  o'clocft 

MISSIONARY  CONGRESS 
Chairman,  Charles  Edwin  Bradt. 

Devotional,  "The  Hc^y  Spirit  and  Missions." 

Prof.  Charles  Herron,  D.D. 
Open  discussion  of  the  recommendations 
of  the  Committee  appointed  to  formulate 
resolutions  upon  "The  Distinct  Foreign 
Missionary  Responsibility  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  U.  S.  A." 
Benediction.  Rev.  Chas.  A.  Highfield. 

Q;bur0DaB  Evening,  ffebruarg  21,  7:30  o'clock 

EMERGENCY 

Chairman,  Mr.  Nolan  Rice  Best. 

Address,  "The  Foreign  Mission  Enterprise." 

Rev.  George  Alexander,  D.D.  LL.D., 
Anthem, 

Address,  "The  Syrian  Situation."  Rev.  F.  E.  Hoskins,  D.D.,  Syria. 

Hymn,  "Ein  Feste  Burg." 

Closing  Words,  "A  Parting  Message  to  the  Men  of  America." 

Moderator  Corbett. 
Hymn,  "God  be  with  you  till  we  meet  again." 
Benediction.  Hunter  Corbett    D.D. 


XLIII 
THE  CONVENTION  PROGRAM  REPORTED 

BY  ARTHUR  F.  BISHOP,  D.D. 

The  Presbyterian  Inter- Synodical  Foreign  Mission  Convention 
for  Men  met  at  the  Auditorium  in  the  city  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  Tues- 
day, February  19,  1907,  at  7:  45  p.  m. 

There  were  one  thousand  and  seventy-four  registered  delegates, 
representing  the  fifteen  Synods  of  the  Central  District  and  the  Cum- 
berland Synods.  About  fifty  of  these  delegates  were  special  repre- 
sentatives from  other  Synods  and  from  the  foreign  field.  Thus  the 
convention  was  truly  inter-synodical,  as  the  following  classified 
registration  of  delegates  exhibits: — 


REGISTRATION  OF  DELEGATES  TO  INTER-SYNODICAL  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARY  CONVENTION  FOR  MEN 

Synods 
Colorado 
Illinois 
Indiana 

Indian  Territory 
Iowa 
Kansas 
Michigan 
Missouri 
Minnesota 
Nebraska 
North  Dakota 
South  Dakota 
Texas 

New  Mexico 
Wisconsin 
Eastern  District 
Western  District 
Southern  District 


rOTAL 

Ministers 

Laymen 

42 

17 

25 

97 

46 

51 

5 

2 

3 

3 

3 

0 

186 

63 

123 

92 

45 

47 

10 

6 

4 

85 

47 

38 

32 

18 

14 

449 

84 

365 

3 

1 

2 

13 

9 

4 

10 

8 

2 

1 

1 

0 

13 

7 

6 

25 

17 

8 

3 

3 

0 

5 

5 

0 

TOTAL  REGISTRATIONS 


1074 


382 


692 


CONCLUDING  SERVICE 

Mr.  Nolan  Rice  Best,  Editor  of  the  Interior  presided  and  con- 
ducted the  devotional  exercises. 

Rev.  Arthur  F.  Bishop,  secretary  of  the  convention,  read  the 
report  for  the  convention. 

B.  M.  Brown  reported  for  the  executive  committee  on  the  ex- 
penses of  the  convention. 

262 


THE  CONVENTION  PROGRAM  REPORTED  263 

Dr.  C.  E.  Bradt,  gave  a  short  farewell  message,  in  which  he 
gave  thanks  to  God  for  the  convention,  and  gave  grateful  recognition 
of  the  services  of  the  many  whose  cooperation  had  secured  its 
success. 

Rev.  George  Alexander,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President  of  the  board 
of  Foreign  Missions,  spoke  on  '^The  Foreign  Mission  Enterprise.^* 
He  said:  "Membership  in  the  Foreign  Board  is  a  liberal  education 
in  geography,  history,  sociology,  finance,  diplomacy,  philanthropy 
and  religion. 

"As  an  explorer  goes  into  the  darkness  of  the  Klondike  and  brings 
back  reports  of  gold  found  there,  so  every  missionary  is  a  prospector 
going  out  into  the  darkness  of  heathenism  and  finding  the  souls  of 
men.  The  missionaries  are  the  pioneers  of  commerce;  the  busi- 
ness men  of  America  could  support  all  the  missions  out  of  the  profits 
which  have  accrued  from  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries.  The 
samples  of  the  Board  are  the  missionaries.  What  do  you  think  of 
them? 

"The  rulers  of  heathen  lands  appreciate  the  value  of  missions 
and  encourage  the  missionaries.  The  empress  of  China  gave  $7,000 
for  a  Christian  college  in  Peking.  In  one  province  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  to  be  put  on  a  level  with  the  Chinese  classics  and  taught 
in  every  school  in  the  province." 

In  introducing  Dr.  Corbett,  Mr.  Best  said:  "We  sorrow  most 
of  all  for  the  words  which  he  has  spoken,  that  we  shall  see  his  face 
no  more." 

The  congregation  rose  and  sang,  "Ye  Christian  Heralds,  Go! 
Proclaim!"  and  remained  standing  while  Dr.  Corbett  delivered 
"A  parting  message  to  the  men  of  America." 

(Dr.  Corbett  left  immediately  after  the  convention  for  China, 
where  he  was  called  to  attend  the  great  Morrison  missionary  cen- 
tennial convention,  and  complete,  if  God  will,  his  own  fifth  decade 
of  missionary  labors  in  that  wonderful  empire. 

Dr.  Corbett  has  traveled  around  the  world  three  times  and 
crossed  the  Pacific  seven  times,  and  has  never  seen  an  unhappy 
missionary.  "No  joy  in  all  the  world  compares  with  the  joy  of  win- 
ning souls,  especially  in  mission  lands,  where  one  builds  on  no  man's 
foundation.") 

The  congregation  remained  standing  and  sang  "God  Be  With 
You  Till  We  Meet  Again."  The  benediction  was  pronounced  by 
Dr.  Corbett  and  Chairman  Best  declared  that  the  Presbyterian 
Inter-Synodical  Foreign  Mission  Convention  for  Men  stood 
adjourned, 


The  convention  has   now  passed  into  history.     Long  will  its 
memory  linger  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  were  privileged  'to  be 


264  MEN  AND  THE  MODERN  MISSIONARY  ENTERPPJSE 

present.  Planned  in  prayer  and  carried  through  by  consecrated 
effort,  it  realized  the  hopes  of  its  fondest  advocates.  It  was  richly 
informational,  sublimely  inspirational  and  intensely  practical.  We 
separated  to  go  to  our  fields  of  labor  to  carry  the  inspiration  and 
information  gathered  at  the  convention  and  to  put  into  effect  the 
practical  plans  there  adopted,  to  the  end  that  the  heathen  may 
become  Christ's  foreign  inheritance  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  His  possession. 


INDEX 


Abraham,  248. 

Acts,  Bible  reading  from  book  of,  221. 

Advisory  Committee,  members  of,  16. 

Adjournment,  263. 

Africa,  Conference,  101 ;  Africa's  open  door, 
104;  mission  stations  in  West  Africa,  101; 
churches,  101;  self-support,  101;  woman's 
missionary  society,  101;  two  great  classes, 
104;  eagerness  to  hear  the  gospel,  104; 
schools,  105-106;  needs,  106;  medical 
work,  106;  distinct  responsibility  for 
evangelization  of,  231 ;  calendar,  105. 

Alexander,  George,  Address:  The  P'oreign 
Missionary  Enterprise,  263. 

Allah,  159. 

America's  primary  place  in  work  of  evange- 
lization, 173. 

American  Government,  in  Philippines,  145. 

American  College,  Beirut,  Syria,  126. 

Announcement  relative  to  convention,  21. 

Ancestor  worship,  in  Japan,  133. 

Apostolic  days,  missionary  zeal  in,  193-194. 

Arabia,  251. 

Armenia,  180. 

Atwood,  W.  C,  16. 

Ayres,  James  B.,  Address,  Japan's  Need, 
128. 


Baech,  Edward,  16. 

Ballard,  F.  O.,  13. 

Baum,  O.  S.,  16;  220. 

Bell,  R.  T.,  15;  17. 

Best,  Nolan  Rice,  "Nothing  narrow  about 
it,"  247;  introduction  of  Dr.  Corbett,  253. 

Bible,  a  missionary  book,  43;  burning  of,  in 
Brazil,  152;  translation  of,  in  India,  124. 

Bishop,  Arthur  F.,  16;  official  recorder,  258; 
convention  program  reported  by,  262; 
220. 

Black,  C.  W.,  220. 

Black,  S.  C,  237. 

Boxer  uprising,  180;  197. 

Books,  valuable  missionary,  191-192. 

Bradt,  Charles  Edwin;  Introduction,  7; 
plan  for  an  echo  campaign,  21;  chairman 
of  Executive  Committee,  10;  address.  How 
to  Finance  the  Field,  201;  chairman  of 
Mission  Congress,  220;  238. 

Broadway  Presbyterian  Church,  Rock  Is- 
land, 217. 

Brazil,  progress  in,  150;  burning  of  Bible, 
152;  morality,  153;  church  membership, 
154;  organization  of  a  General  Assembly, 
154;  self-support,  154. 

Brotherhood:  how  established,  7;  Who  is  my 
brother?  7;  General  Assembly  Committee 
of,  13;  Brotherhood  of  man,  21. 

Brotherhood  Convention  at  Indianapolis,  9. 

Brodhead,  C.  R.,  16. 

Brown,  Arthur  J.,  16. 

Brown,  B.  M.,  16;  239. 

Brown,  Robert  A.,  13. 

Bubis,  race  of  people,  36. 

Budget,  amount  of  proposed,  36;  68. 

Buddhism,  in  Japan,  132;  Priests,  133. 

Burdick,  N.  H.,  15;  17;  92. 


Calendar,  unique,  105. 
Cairo,  conference  at,  39. 
Carev,  William,  37;  196:  life  and  work  of, 
184-186.      Motto  of,  226. 


Centennial  anniversary  of  Protestant  Mis- 
sions in  China,  04. 
Central  America,  151. 
Central    Presbyterian    Church,    New    York 

City,  216. 
Chalmers,  James,  39. 
Cherry,  J.  B.,  17. 

China:  Educational  reform  in,  35;  gifts  of 
Emperor,  35;  account  of  missionary  work 
in,  47-49;  Roman  Catholic  Church  in,  48; 
Boxer  uprising  and  martyrs,  48;  awaken- 
ing in,  48;  foot  binding,  38;  48;  113; 
opium  smoking,  38;  48;  113;  our  oppor- 
tunity, 49. 
Conference  on  China  by  Dr.  Corbett,  108; 
early  history  of  Dr.  Corbett's  work,  108 
hatred  for  foreigners,  108;  famine  in  Shan- 
tung, 1877,  109;  prejudice  broken,  109; 
114;  story  of  converts,  110-111;  self-sup- 
port of  churches,  109;  schools,  109;  113; 
characteristics  of  the  people,  48;  111-112: 
needs,  112;  famine,  80;  244;  Church's 
opportunity,  112. 
China:  the  open  door  and  missionary  achiev- 
ment,  113;  teachers,  113;  Christian  Sab- 
bath recognized  by  the  government,  113; 
editorial  in  reference  to  missionaries,  114; 
accessions  to  the  church,  114;  descrip- 
tion of  work  at  Wei  Hsien,  114;  115;  work 
of  native  pastors,  116;  117;  church  at 
Peang  Wang,  116;  expansion,  117;  native 
helpers  important  factors  in  evangeliza- 
tion, 117;  cost  of  native  helpers,  118;  de- 
mands, 118;  need  of  trained  native  evan- 
gelists, 118;  centennial  anniversary  of 
Protestant  Missions,  64. 
Chinese  Exclusion  Law,  119. 
Chinese  and  Japanese  in  the  United  States, 
119;  Exclusion  Law,  119;  segregation, 
120;  Japanese  invasion,  119;  subjected  to 
humiliations,  120;  in  schools,  120;  com- 
parative vices  and  virtues,  121;  need  of 
Chinese  labor,  121;  their  trade,  121;  they 
transport  the  gospel,  122;  are  our  brethren, 
122. 
Chili, 'l 50. 

Christ,  an   Imperial  Master,   30;   His  great 
commission   to    His   church,    32;   44;   69; 
method  of  teaching,  46;  standard  of  great- 
ness, 169;  His  value  of  man,  169;  promise 
and  power,  178;  181. 
Christ's  appeal  to  men  for  the  world,  79;  for 
sympathy  and  love,  81 ;  for  action,  81 ;  for 
service,  82;  for    obedience,  83;  story  of 
Simon  Yandes,  84;  our  response,  84;  re- 
sults of  obedience,  85. 
Christian  religion  paramount,  79. 
Christian  College,  124. 
Christian,  his  obligation,  46. 
Christianity,  conquering  force,  182. 
Church:    Is   it   a   worthless   institution?   7; 
practical   humanities  and   philanthropies 
of,  8;  number  of  in  this  country,  8;  number 
of  church  members,  8;  distinct  work  of 
8;    70-71;    union   with    Cumberland,    18; 
manifold  activities,  27;  present  day  need 
of,  43;  responsibility  for  this  generation. 
45;  work  of  Holy  Spirit  in,  225;  early  mis- 
sionary activities  in,  44;  226;  church  in 
West  Africa,   101;  in  Japan,   134-135;  in 
Korea,   138;   in   Philippines,   146;  oppor- 
tunity of,  in  China,  112. 
Clarke,  William  Newton,  182. 
Clarke,  A.  S.  C,  17. 
Coffin,  D.  W..  13.  » 


265 


266 


INDEX 


Committee  on  recommendations,  220. 

Coillanl,  M.,  192. 

Columbia,  South  America,  150. 

Colville,  George,  M.,  92. 

Congo,  reform  in,  37. 

Convention:    See    Inter-Synodical    Foreign 

Missionary  Convention. 
Convention  Call,  18. 
Convention  program  reported,  262. 
Converts,  stories  of,  52;  110-111;   117-118; 

146-149. 
Conference  of  missionaries  in  Shanghai,  64. 
Conclusion,  257. 
Concluding    Service,  202. 
Corbett,    Hunter,    Address,    visions   of   the 

foreign  field,  40;  conference  on  China,  lOH; 

a  farewell  message,    254;    moderator    of 

General  Assembly,  18;  other  remarks  and 

references,  26;  243;  245. 
Coyle,  Robert  F.,  Address,  men  of  might  in 

foreign  missions,  177. 
Cumberland  Church  union,  18. 
Cunningham,  J.  S.,  Conference  on  China,  101 

D 

Day,  Dwight  II.,  16. 

Darnall,  Thomas,  234. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  176. 

Definite  purpose  of  the  convention,  21. 

Detwiler,  C.  W.,  220. 

Delegates,  to  convention,  262. 

Dempster,  Robert,  15;  17. 

Disciples,  vision  world-wide,  43. 

Dispensaries  and  hospitals,  124. 

Distinct  Foreign  Mission  Responsibility  of 
Presbyterian  Church,  62;  paper  sent  to 
mission  fields  regarding,  62;  not  a  chim- 
erical proposition,  63;  resolution  of  Amer- 
ican Board  of  Commissioners,  63-64; 
Madras  Missionary  Conference,  64;  in- 
dividual resi)onsil>iltiy,  64;  Punjab  mis- 
sion, 05;  nature  of  undertaking,  65;  aim, 
66;  numerical  resnonsibility,  60;  outlay, 
67;  average,  67;  budget,  68;  care  of  our 
missionaries,  68;  native  worker's  part  in 
evangelization,  68-09;  native  church  in 
Japan,  09;  obedience  to  Christ's  last  com- 
mand, 09;  what  the  church  exists  for,  70; 
church's  responsil)ility,  70-71;  synod  and 
presbytery  responsibility,  71;  evengeliza- 
tion  in  this  generation,  72;  laymen's  mis- 
sionarv-movement,  72. 

Dunlai),G.  W.,  220. 

E 

Echo  campaign,  plans  for,  22. 

Education:  in  our  own  land,  30;  in  China,  35; 
109-113;  Africa,  105-100;  India,  123-124; 
Japan,  129,  1.30,  132;  Persia,  161;  Phihp- 
pines,  146;  Korea,  137. 

Education:  need  of  systematic  missionary, 
86;  indispen.sible  to  self-government,  86; 
its  problem,  87;  difficulties  and  dangers, 
87-88;  .study  classes,  88;  advantages,  88; 
in  Sunday  Schools,  89. 

Educational  reformation  in  China,  35. 

Educational  Department,  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  89. 

Estey,  S.  S.,  10;  190:  220. 

Eusebius,  "Our  father  of  church  history," 
221. 

Evangelists,  native,  see  native  pastor. 

Evangelization  of  the  world  in  this  genera- 
tion, 72;  a  privilege  and  duty,  31 ;  a  man's 
task,  30;  relative  responsibility,  men  and 
women,  31-32;  native  worker's  share  in, 
08-09;  church's  share  in  and  responsibility 
for,  202;  synod  and  presbytery  responsi- 
bility, 71;  requirements  for,  173-174;  202. 

Evangelization,  forces  in  opposition,  177; 
a  missionary  obligation,  45;  John  Mott's 
definition,  45:  247,  individual  responsi- 
bilitj*  45:  109-170;  America  and  Great 
Britain's  place  in,  173. 

Executive  Committee,  members  of,  16. 


Famine,  in  China,  80,  109;  resolution  re- 
garding, 244;  in  India,  124. 

Farewell  Message,  Hunter  Corbett,  254. 

First  Presbyterian  Church,  Portland,  Ore. 
199. 

Fitch,  J.  Ashley,  Address,  the  open  door  in 
China  and  missionary  achievement,  113; 
other  remarks  by,  233. 

Filipinos,  see  conference  on  Philippines. 

Financial  Responsibility,  229. 

Foot  Binding,  38,  48,  113. 

Foreign  Missions,  extent  of  business  con- 
ducted, 35;  distinct  responsibility  of 
Presbyterian  Church,  228-229;  Numerical 
responsibility  of  Pres.  church,  228.  See 
Missions,  Missionaries,  Evangelization, 
etc. 

Foreign  Missions  a  world  force,  35;  forces 
employed,  35;  results  accomplished,  36; 
Development  of  the  native  Christian 
church,  38. 

Foreign  Missionaries,  see  Missionaries. 

Foreign  Missionary  Boards:  work  along  edu- 
cational lines,  80. 

Foreign  missionary  pastor,  emphasized,  242. 

Foreign  mission  enterprise,  263. 

Foreigners,  Chinese  hatred  of,  108. 

Forman  College,  30;  124;  120. 

Forward  Movement,  23;  the  undertaking, 
23;  the  aim,  24;  the  plan,  24. 

Fraternal  Greeting,  27. 

Friars,  152;  153. 

Fulton,  Ralph  T.,  16. 

Fusan,  Korea,  50. 

Funk,  W.  A.,  220. 

G 

Gale,  James  S.,  55. 

Generation,  see  evangelization. 

Gifts,  to  education,  174;  to  missionary  and 
philanthropic  objects,  174;  proportionate 
from  church  organizations,  213-214;  of 
Emperor  and  Empress  of  China.  35;  263; 
of  Japan,  47.- 

Golden  Legend,  quotation  from,  9. 

God,  "The  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  him," 
29;  demands  faithfulness  and  obedience, 
45;  Kingdom  of,  65. 

Gordon,  General,  39. 

Gospel,  to  every  creature,  44;  70. 

Graham,  W.  E.,  16. 

Great  Commission,  80;  not  for  women  only, 
32. 

Great  Britain's  place  in  work  of  evangeliza- 
tion, 173. 

Greeland,  180. 

Guizot,  quoted,  183. 

H 

Hall,  J.  Andrew,  Conference  on  Philippines, 
145. 

Hall,  Thomas  A.,  78. 

Halsey,  A.  W.,  Address,  foreign  missions  a 
world  force,  35;  literature,  191;  Other 
references,  16;  231;  232;  237. 

Hawley,  F.  W.,  190;  237. 

Haystack  Meeting,  centennial,  18. 

Herron,  Charles,  Address,  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  foreign  missions,  221 ;  other  remarks 
and  references,  10;  220. 

Higbee,  M.  V.,  10. 

Highfleld,  Charles  A.,  10;  220;  244. 

Hill,  Edgar  P.,  Address,  the  pulpit,  how 
to  interest  men  in  foreign  missions,  193. 

Hilscher,  S.  S.,  92. 

Holy  Spirit  and  foreign  missions,  221:  the 
earlv  church  and  work  of  Holy  Spirit, 
221-222;  witnessing,  222;  Peter,  222; 
guidance  in  choice  of  special  representa- 
tives, 223;  guidance  to  fields  of  service, 
224;  Philip  and  Paul,  224;  Holy  Spirit's 
work  in  the  church,  225;  early  missionary 
activity,  226. 


INDEX 


267 


Home  Missions,  contributions  to   208. 

Hoskins,  F.  E.,  Address,  the  Syrian  situa- 
tion, 248. 

How  to  finance  the  field.  201;  area,  201; 
evangelization  in  this  generation,  201; 
new  standard  of  giving,  201;  methods, 
202-204;  requirements,  202;  collections, 
204;  annual  subscription  method,  204. 

Hubbard,  Charles  F.,  IG;  78;  220. 

Hunter,  T.  K.,  15;  10;  20. 

Hotels  in  Persia,  142. 


Iloilo,  Phihppines,  146. 

Immigrants,  40. 

Index,  235-269.  ^    ^. 

India's  im.mediate  Needs.  123;  see  India. 

India,  123;  self-government,  37;  Presby- 
terian Church  of,  38;  translation  of  the 
Bible,  124;  famine  and  pestilence,  124; 
dispensaries  and  hospitals,  124;  educa- 
tional, 123-124;  statistics,  125;  progress. 
124-127;  needs,  125-126. 

Indians,  154. 

Individual  responsibility,  64;  109-1/0;  174; 
236;  240;  financially,  173. 

Introduction,  7;  brotherhood,  7;  men's 
movement,  7;  church,  business  of,  8, 
Inter-Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Con- 
vention, 8-9. 

Inter-Synodical  Foreign  Missionary  Con- 
vention for  Men,  purpose,  8-9;  19;  21; 
Origin  and  organization,  13;  distinctively 
for  men,  14;  self-entertaining,  14;  20; 
co.st,  15;  prayer  for,  15;  21;  place  of  meet- 
ing 15;  20;  committees,  16-17;  conven- 
tion call,  18;  program,  19;  instructions 
to  delegates,  20;  correspondence,  21;  de- 
finite purpo.se  of,  19;  opportune,  31,  33; 
something  new,  173;  God  inspired,  28. 

Inter-Synodical  Central  District  Committee, 
members  of,  10. 

Inter-denominational  Laymen's  Movement, 

see  laymen's  movement. 
In  the  Mission  Congress,  see  mi.ssion  con- 
gress. 
Isaiah,  world  vision  of,  44. 
Islam,  a  missionary  religion,  57;  the  might 

of,  159;  see  Mohammedan,  Mohammed. 
Itinerating  in  Persia,  142. 


Jacob,  248. 

Japan,  Conference  on,  128;  self-support, 
38;  135;  short  review  of  work  in,  by  Dr. 
Corbett,  46-47;  gift  of  emperor  to  Y.  M. 
C  A.,  47;  native  church  in,  69;  needs,  133; 
modern  progress  in,  128;  134;  revolution 
and  reformation.  128;  railroads,  129; 
army  and  navy,  129;  schools,  129;  illi- 
teracy, 1.30;  difference  between  educated 
and  uneducated,  130;  teaching  religion 
forbidden  in  government  schools,  130; 
morals,  1.30;  133;  government  rescript  and 
ethics,  131;  moral  condition  in  schools, 
132;  suicides,  132;  condition  of  masses, 
132;  Shintoism  and  Buddhism,  132;  an- 
cestor worship  and  superstitions,  133; 
church  in,  134;  native  pastors,  134;  stand- 
ard of  Christian  living,  134;  union  of 
churches,  135;  political  influence,  136. 

Japanese  in  United  States,  119. 

Jeffrey,  J.  D.,  remarks  in  mission  congress, 
236. 

Jenks,  I.  C,  220. 

Jenks,  Edwin  Hart,  Address,  a  fraternal 
greeting,  the  unique  importance  of  the 
convention,  27;  other  remarks  and  refer- 
ences, 15;  16;  92. 

Jenness,  Perry,  V.,  Address,  the  scripture 
basis  of  missions,  43.  Remarks  in  mis- 
sion congress,  235. 

Jews,  return  of,  249. 

John,  Griffith,  referred  to,  39:  64;  192. 


Johnston,  Howard  Agnew,  revival  at  Wei 
Hsien,  115. 

Jordan,  S.  M.,  Addresses,  visions  of  the 
foreign  field,  57,  conference  on  Persia,  142; 
the  might  of  Islam,  159;  remarks  in  mis- 
sion congress,  237. 

Judea,  Messiah  born  in,  50. 

Judson,  190. 


Kharvar,  weight  of,  103. 

Kingdom  of  God,  65. 

Korea,  Conference  on,  137;  gift  of  king  to 
foreign  board,  35;  number  of  Christians 
in,  38;  17;  work  of  native  Christians  in,  38; 
population,  47;  expectations  for,  50; 
work  in  Pyeng  Yang,  50-56;  heathenism. 
50-51;  Christian  schools  and  churches, 
51;  Syen  Chun,  51-52;  progress  of  Chris- 
tianity, 51;  bible  study  and  trainirig  clas- 
ses, 51-52  ;Chai  Ryong,  52;  characteristics 
of  Korean  church,  52;  138;  story  of  con- 
verts, 52;  story  of  Han,  53;  church  self- 
support,  54;  138 ^  Korean  missionaries, 
54;  evangelistic  zeal,  of  Koreans,  54;  uni- 
que offerings,  55;  Fusan  station,  56; 
Elder  Kil,  56;  native  pastors,  138. 

Korea,  an  educated  ministry  in,  137;  Korean 
theological  seminary,  137;  composite 
biography  of  future  ministers,  138-140: 
equipment  for  education  sorely  lacking, 
140;  salaries  of  native  pastors,  140;  edu- 
cational and  financial  needs,  140-141. 

Koran,  57;  251;  250. 

Kuhn,  D.  T.,  16;  220. 


Labrador,  180. 

Landrith,  Ira,  Address,  the  present  impor- 
tance of  the  convention,  31;  chairman 
opening  session,  26. 

Latin  America's  claim  upon  her  Anglo- 
Saxon  sLster,  150;  Gautemala,  150;  Col- 
umbia, 150;  Venezuela,  150;  Cliih,  150; 
Brazil,  150-154;  physical  reasons  for 
evangelization,  150;  political  considera- 
tions, 151;  api)alling  religious  needs,  152; 
Roman  Catholics,  152;  friars,  152;  153; 
bible  burned,  152;  schools,  154;  Mexico, 
154;  Indians.  154;  eagerness  to  hear  the 
gospel,  155. 

Lauglilin,  J.  H.,  Conference,  Chinese  and 
Japanese  in  the  United  States,  119;  92; 
220. 

Laughlin,  J.  W.,  16. 

Laymen's  movement,  72;  217;  244. 

Lee,  Graham,  foreign  pastor  of  Broadway 
Presbyterian  Church,  217. 

Leningtbn,  George  C,  Conference,  Latin 
America's  claim  upon  her  Anglo-Saxon 
sister,  150. 

Lewis,  F.  W.,  16;  78;  220. 

Lien  Chow,  China,  181. 

Literature,  191;  valuable  missionary  books, 
191-192;  rea.son  for  study  of,  191. 

Little,  Henry,  emphasizes  the  value  of  for- 
eign missionary  pastor,  242. 

Livingstone,  David,  Life  and  work,  186-187; 
other  references  to,  84;  107;  196. 

Long,  B.  M.,  16;  26;  220. 

Lowrie,  M.  B.,  92. 

Luke,  St.  221. 

M 

MacPherson,  Neil,  13. 
Madras,  missionarv  conference,  64 
Malcolm,  J.  H.,  13\ 
Mancius,  109. 

Martvr,  Justin,  quoted,  180. 
MarshaU,  A.  B.,  26. 
Marquis.  J.  L.,  220.  ' 

Marquis,  William  S.,  Address,  missionary 
methods  for  men  in  the  local  church,  212; 


268 


INDEX 


chairman  committee  on  recommendations, 
231;  other  remarks  and  references,  10;  220. 

McCleland,  J.  1.,  42. 

McConaughy,  David,  Address,  the  forward 
movement,  23;  our  parisli  abroad  and 
our  pohcy  for  evangehzing  it,  206;  my 
mission,  a  bible  reading,  158;  member 
of  advisory  committee,   16. 

McKenzie  College,  36. 

Medical  missionaries,  work  of,  37. 

McRae,  F.  D..  220. 

Mecca,  252. 

Men's  movement,  7;  172. 

Men  of  might  in  foreign  missions,  177; 
forces  in  opposition  to  evangelization,  177; 
in  opposition  to  missionaries  and  missions, 
178;  Christ's  promise  of  power,  178;  his- 
tory, 179-180;  Christianity's  conquering 
force,  182;  Paul,  183-184;  Wihiam  Carey, 
184-186;  David  Livingstone,  186-187. 

Methodist  Church  in  India,  168. 

Methods  for  financing  the  field,  see  "How 
to  finance  the  field." 

Mexico,  154. 

Might  of  Islam,  159;  its  weakness  and 
strength,  159;  inadequacy  of,  159;  ideas 
of  heaven,  160;  religious  beliefs,  160; 
Mohammedans  in  school,  161;  need  of 
schools,  162;  America's  opportunity,  167. 

Military  spirit  in  the  east,  49. 

Miller,  J.  C,  234. 

Minister's  Association,  account  of  meeting 
at  Omaha  preparatory  to  convention,   14. 

Mission  Study  Class,  93;  what  is  it?  93;  its 
purpose,  93;  requirements,  93;  quaUfica- 
tions  of  a  leader,  94-95;  methods,  97. 

Missionary  methods  for  men  in  the  local 
church,  212;  woman's  part  in  missions, 
212;  men's  testimony  essential,  212;  men's 
business  ability  necessary,  213;  ecclesias- 
tical and  civic  power,  213;  statistics,  213; 
methods,  214-218;  foreign  missionary  ses- 
sion, 215;  missionary  platform,  215;  or- 
ganization, 216;  brotherhoods,  216;  Wood- 
lawn  Park  Pres.  Church  as  example,  216; 
definite  work  an  essential,  217;  Broad- 
way Presbyterian  Church,  217;  mis- 
sionary ideal,  218. 

Missionaries,  number  of  Presbyterian,  36; 
213;  changes  wrought  by,  37;  their  aim, 
39;  spirit  of,  first  in  Korea,  47;  in  China, 
47;  Korean  native  missionaries,  54;  high 
standing  among  the  Persians,  60;  con- 
ference at  Shanghai,  64;  care  of,  68;  dif- 
ficulties encountered,  124;  number  in 
India,  125;  in  Philippines,  146;  attitude 
toward  self-support  of  church  in  Japan, 
134-135;  estimate  of  number  required  to 
evangelize  the  world,  173;  early  diffi- 
culties overcome,  226. 

Missionary  spirit,  175;  missionary  ideal,  218; 
missionary  policy,  229;  methods,  229. 

Mission  Congress,  Recommendations  dis- 
cussed and  adopted,   231-244. 

Missions,  need  men,  19;  obstacles  to  progress 
of,  178;  woman's  part,  212. 

Missions,  scripture  basis  of,  43;  see  scripture 

basis    of   missions. 
Moffett,  Samuel  A.,  Address,  visions  of  the 
foreign   field,    50;   conference   on    Korea, 
137;  remarks  in  mission  congress,  234. 
Mohammed,  his  teachings,  57. 
Mohammedans,  percentage  in  schools,  161; 
prince  expelled   from  school,    166;  ideas 
of  prayer,  160;  of  heaven,  160. 
Mohammedan  world,  58. 
Mohammedanism,  39;  159;  religious  beliefs 

57-58;  160;  enemy  of  civilization,  251. 
Moore,  Carey  F.,  92. 
Money,    estimate    of    amount    required    to 

evangelize,  173;  229. 
Monod,  Adolph,  quoted,  183. 
Mott,  Jolyi,  referred  to,  45;  247. 
Muir,  Sir  William,  quoted,  251. 
Murray,  J.  C,  220. 
My  mission,  a  bible  reading,  158. 


N 

Native  converts,  see  converts. 

Native   Christian     church,   development   of 

38;  in  Japan,  09;  relation  of  missionary 

to,  134. 
Native  evangelists,   need   of,    118;    125;   in 

Korea,  137;  traveling  evangelist,  139. 
Native  workers,  number,  36;  their  part  in 

evangelization,    68-69;    story    of    two    in 

Africa,  102;  important  factors  in  work  in 

China,   117;  cost  of,   118. 
Native  pastors,  support  of  in  Africa,   102; 

work  of  in  China,  116;  number  of  in  Japan, 

134;  Korea,   138;  biographies  of,  138-140; 

salaries  of  in  Korea.    140. 
Newton,  F.  rf.,  220 
Need   of  systematic  missionary   education, 

86;  see  education. 
Numerical    responsibility    of    Presbyterian 

Church  for  the  unevangelized,  231. 
Nothing  narrow  about  it,  247. 

O 

Obedience,  45;  to  Christ's  command,  69;  83; 
results  of,  85. 

Omaha,  Minister's  Association,  14;  Local 
committee,  16;  place  of  convention  meet- 
ing, 15;  20;  fraternal  greetings,  27. 

Opium  Curse,  38;  113;  177. 

Opportunity,  the  greatest  in  the  world,  168; 
spirituality,  168;  Christ's  standard  of 
greatness,  169;  his  value  of  man,  109; 
prayer,  169;  personal  responsibility,  169; 
170;  work  of  United  Presbyterian  Church 
in  foreign  lands,  170-172;  financial  obliga- 
tion, 171;  America's  place  in  work  of 
evangelization,  173;  estimate  of  mis- 
sionaries and  money  required  to  evange- 
lize world,  173;  nurnber  of  unevangelized, 
174;  missionary  spirit,  175;  Declaration 
of    Independence,  176. 

Origin  and  organization  of  inter-synodical 
foreign  missionary  convention  for  men, 
13;  Indianapolis  "committee  and  confer- 
ence, 13;  movement  endorsed,  14;  Ctmaha 
minister's  association  meeting,  14;  prayer 
for,  15;  committees,  16-17. 

Organization  of  Mission  Study  Classes,  see 
mission  study  class. 

Our  parish  abroad  and  our  policy  for  evan- 
gelizing it,  206;  three  circles,  206;  the 
field,  207;  the  force,  207;  the  funds,  208; 
comparison  between  home  and  foreign 
missions,  208;  illustrative  cut,  208;  policy, 
209;  parish  abroad  defined,  210;  living 
links,  211. 


Palgrave,  quoted,  251. 

Panay,  Island  of,  146. 

Parish  abroad,  see  our  parish  abroad. 

Pastor,  his  part  in  world  evangelization,  193. 

Patterson,  J.  M.,  16. 

Paton,  John  G.,  referred  to,  39;  178. 

Paul,  apostle,  life,  works  and  example  of 
183-184. 

Peang  Wang,  China,  116. 

Peet,  B.  W.,  220. 

Pentecost,  182. 

Persia,  schools,  percentage  of  Mohammed- 
ans in,  161;  needs  of,  162;  description  of, 
161-167;  bible  taught  in,  164. 

Persia,  conference,  142;  contributions  to 
foreign  missions, 35;  constitution  promised, 
37;  Mohammedans  in,  57;  land  of  bible 
history,  58;  church  missionary  society  of 
England  in,  58;  Presliyterian  responsi- 
bility for,  58,  extent  and  population,  58; 
comparison  with  America,  59;  medical 
work,  59;  hospitals,  59;  high  standing  of 
missionaries,  60;  evangelistic  work,  00; 
description  of  evangelistic  tour,  60;  iti- 
nerating, 142;  method  of  teaching,  143. 

Peter,  St.,  194;  222. 


INDEX 


269 


Philip,  evangelist,  194;  224. 

Philippines,  conference,  145;  friars,  145; 
the  open  door,  145;  superstition,  145; 
American  government,  in,  145;  number 
of  missionaries,  146;  schools  and  hospitals, 
146;  church  membership,  146;  work  in 
Iloilo,  146;  stories  of  converts,  146-149; 
self-support,  147. 

Pitkin,  E.  H.,  quoted,  215. 

Plan  for  an  echo  campaign,  21. 

Polygamy,  252. 

Porter,  R.  G.,  220. 

Power,  Christ's,  178;  181;  ours,  178. 

Prayer,  74. 

Pre-convention  conference  with  secretaries, 
22. 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  an- 
niversary, 18. 

Presbytery  Responsibility,  71. 

Presbyterian  church,  percentage  of  workers 
in  outside  missionary  enterprises,  7;  dis- 
tinct foreign  mission  responsibility  of, 
62-73;  a  missionary  society,  225;  signi- 
ficant movements  in,   29. 

Present  importance  of  the  convention,  31; 
opportune,  31;  33;  laymen's  movement, 
33;  brotherhood,  32;  church  union,  33; 
relative  responsibility  men  and  women, 
31-32;  great  commission  not  for  women 
only,  32. 

Program  of  the  convention,  259-261. 

Pulpit,  how  to  interest  men  in  foreign 
missions,  193;  missionary  zeal  in  apostolic 
days,  193-194;  pastor's  part  in  world  evan- 
gelization, 193;  work  of  the  Spirit,  194; 
selfishness,  195;  the  men  in  the  pews,  195; 
the  pulpit,  195;  consecration  and  explana- 
tion, 197;  boxer  uprising  a  means  of  stimu- 
lating, 197;  explanation  of  the  needs,  197; 
information,  198;  make  mission  work 
vivid,  199;  witnessing,  200. 

Punjab,  India,  65;  226. 

Purdy,  R.  L.,  17;  92. 

Pyeng,  Yang,  Korea,  50-56;  see  Korea. 


R 

Recommendations  adopted,  228;  responsi- 
bility, 228;  forces  needed,  228-229;  cost, 
229;  missionary  policy,  229;  methods,  229. 

Recommendations,  Committee,   220. 

Redemption,  for  the  whole  world,  43-44. 

Registration  of  Delegates,  262. 

Relative  responsibility,  men  and  women, 
31-32. 

Responsibility,  174;  Presbyterian  Church, 
228;  numerical  responsibility,  228;  231; 
distinct  foreign  mission  responsibility, 
62-73;  see  individual  responsibility. 

Reynolds,  Walter,  H.,  16. 

Reynolds,  Geo.,  220. 

Rice,  John  H.,  overture  presented  to  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  by,  225. 

Riggs,  S.  B.,  220. 

Robert  College,  36;  126. 


Sailer,  T.  H.  P.,  Address,  the  need  of  syste- 
matic missionary_education,  86;  the  mis- 
sion study  class,  93;  member  Advisory 
Committee,  16. 

Scaools  and  Colleges,  number  of  Presby- 
terian, 36. 

Scripture  basis  of  mis.sions,  43;  disciples 
vision  world-wide,  43;  present  day  need 
of  the  church,  43;  bible  a  missionary  book, 
43;  Isaiah's  vision  world-wide,  44;  univer- 
sality of  the  gospel,  44;  Christ's  command 
to  His  church,  44;  early  missionary  acti- 
vity, 44;  evangelization  a  missionary 
obligation,   45;  witnessing,   45;   church's 


responsibility,    45;    individual    responsi- 
bility, 45;  faithfulness  and  obedience,  45. 

Sexton,  Thomas  L.,  158;  260. 

Shah  of  Persia,  59. 

Shanghai,  conference  of  missionaries,  64. 

Sheldon,  H.  P.,  220. 

Shintoism,  132. 

Siam,  35. 

Solomon,  162. 

South  America,  150. 

Speer,  Robert  E.,  Address,  distinct  foreign 
missionary  responsibility  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  62;  Christ's  appeal  to  men 
for  the  world,  79;  Prayer,  75;  other  ref- 
erences, 16. 

Student  Volunteer  Union,  teachings  of,  198. 

Study  Classes,  see  mission  study  classes. 

Subscription  Method,  204. 

Syen  Chun,  Korea,  51-52. 

Syrian  Situation,  248;  races  and  religions 
248;  history,  249;  Islam,  248;  Turks,  250 
Koran,  250;  251 ;  number  of  Moslems,  250 
Arabia,  251;  reforms,  251;  Mecca,  252, 
Syria's  location,  252;  missionary  work, 
252;  polygamy,  252;  woman,  252;  Sultan, 
250. 

Syrian  Protestant  College,  36. 

Synod  responsibility,  71. 

Sytematic  missionary  education,  need  of, 
86. 


Teaching,  Christ's  method,  46. 

Telegram.     205. 

Temperance,  vs.  foreign  missions,  234-235. 

Templeton,  J.  D.,  92. 

Tithing,  102;  239. 

Turkey,  250. 

Toman,  value  of,  163. 

Turban,  description  of  Persian,  163. 

U 

Unevangelized,  number  of,  174. 

Union  College,  at  Wei  Hsien,  115. 

United    Presbyterian    Church,  work  of    in 

foreign  lands,   170-172. 
Unique  importance  of  the  convention,  27. 


Visions  of  the  foreign  fields,  46;  50;  57;  see 
China,  Korea,  Persia. 

W 

Waiting  before  God  in  prayer,  74. 

Weber,  H.  L.,  Address,  conference  on  Africa, 

104. 
Wei  Hsien,  China,  114-115. 
Wherry,  E.  M.,  Address,  India's  immediate 

needs,  123;  Remarks  in  mission  congress, 

231- 232;  233. 
White,  J.  Campbell,  Address,  the  greatest 

opportunity  in  the  world,  168;  Prayer,  74; 

remarks  in  mission  congress,  240;  244. 
Wight,  Ambrose,  S.,  92. 
Wilson,  J.  C,  15;  92. 
Wilson.  J.,  220. 
Witnessing,  199-200. 
Winchester,  W.  F.,  220. 
Work,  E.  W.,  42. 
Wolfe,  A.  L.,  remarks  in  mission  congress, 

243. 
Women,  32;  part  in  missions,  212;  women's 

conference,     115;     women's     missionary 

society,  31. 
Woodlawn    Presbyterian   Church,   Chicago, 

216. 


Yandes,  Simon,  84. 
Young  People,  19. 


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